New community mental health hub announced for Sir Joshua Hassan House

The Community Mental Health Team Facility will be relocated to Sir Joshua Hassan House on Secretary’s Lane, with the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Public Services Ombudsman also moving to the site.

The new facility is still in its design stage, with the Minister for Health, Gemma Arias-Vasquez, anticipating that the site will be open and ready for use within 18 to 24 months.

Ms Arias-Vasquez was joined by GHA Director General Kevin McGee, the GHA’s Director for mental health and ERS Natasha Cerisola, and consultant psychiatrist Dr Bettadapura Ashim in announcing the new site.

The announcement comes after the Government said last July that the facility would be at the site of the old Gibraltar Chronicle printers but, some months later, said a different site was being considered.

Ms Arias-Vasquez acknowledged that other locations had been announced for the facility but that decisions had been made in the best interests of service users to secure the most suitable site.

At the time that the old Gibraltar Chronicle printing works was initially identified as the location, Sir Joshua Hassan House was not an option.

Having secured the location and the appropriate funding, the Government is “fully committed” to delivering this project at Sir Joshua Hassan House.

Ms Arias-Vasquez said she would not shy away from changing her position if it was in the best interests of users, adding that the new site would provide the GHA with double the space it has at the current Coaling Island facility.

Although she would not be drawn into revealing the cost of the plans, she said “about half of it is coming out of the GHA budget and a half of it is coming from a private donor.”

The new facility aims to use a new model of care by providing single point of access for patients, and will address biological, psychological and social factors ensuring that treatment is holistic and personalised.

Moving beyond a purely pharmacological approach, the new model will offer alternative treatments that focus on recovery and well-being.

The hub will serve as a central base for all mental health professionals, improving direct patient care, breaking down barriers to access, and ensuring that individuals receive the right support at the right time.

A housing outreach officer will also be on site.

Ms Arias-Vasquez told reporters on Wednesday that the new site will be exciting and pivotal for patient care.

“We think that this is a fantastic location for the public,” she said.

“It's central, it's in the heart of town, it's got very disability-friendly access, and the size is significant enough for us to bring in all the elements of the model of care that we have been speaking about for the past few months.”

Mr McGee said the new facility has been determined after consultation with staff, pressure groups and the public, in coming to the decision.

“It'll bring our staff together and allow us to really deliver first-rate, state of the art clinical care across Gibraltar,” he said.

“Because what we need to recognize is what we've now got is a fabulous building and a fabulous location, and we've got an outline of a clinical model that we want to develop.”

“The next 12 to 18 months are now going to be spent honing that clinical model to make sure it fits with the building, and vice versa.”

Ms Cerisola gave an insight into the new model of care which will be implemented alongside the facility.

“Reinforcing the new model of care is a biopsychosocial model and what we're developing is a wraparound service, individualized to patient needs,” she said.

“We've been working really hard behind the scenes to provide the best possible care for our local communities.”

Dr Ashim said that the new facility will benefit the community and streamline services.

“I think this is the next step forward really where we integrate services in the community and provide a single point of access for people with mental problems and a one-stop shop if you like for people with mental difficulties,” he said.