Media Release
7 June 2012
Specialist unit opens for people with greatest need
A small but specialist team has been set up in Hampshire to provide intensive
support, assessment and treatment for people with some of the most complex and
difficult to manage learning disabilities.
The centre called Willow Assessment and Treatment Unit is a unique NHS facility in
Hampshire and has six beds with a highly trained team of staff.
Amy Hobson is the Director of Learning Disability and Specialised Mental Health
services for Southern Health. “This will make a huge difference to people with
complex learning disabilities who need the most specialist support and help.”
“The assessments carried out at Willow are designed to examine the specific needs
of a person and what influences their behaviour. It can also look at how a person can
develop alternative and positive skills which can help them manage any difficulties.
The staff and facilities there are amazing.”
Willow also has a Sensory Integration Suite which can help staff identify some of the
difficulties people can have with processing everyday experiences. Some people
with learning or behavioural difficulties may behave in a certain way because of a
conflict in their brain caused by the way they experience movement, sound, light or
touch. The suite will allow us to help people find better ways of coping with that
conflicting information in the brain, perhaps through play or movement.
The unit will have a multi disciplinary team made up of specialists in Psychiatry,
Psychology, Speech and Language alongside Nurses and Therapists with expert
knowledge of certain behavioural conditions. It will have 24-hour cover and will be
able to bring in more staff flexibly according to the needs of people staying there.
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust has a number of learning disability and
specialist mental health services which are used by several other NHS Trusts around
the country. The kind of specialist support provided by the Trust and its staff has
earned it the reputation of an expert in this kind of care.
Dr Kevin O’Shea is the clinical lead and a Consultant Psychiatrist in Learning
Disabilities, “This is a really unique facility to have in this area. It can potentially lead
to great improvement in people’s lives and those of their family, who until now may
have struggled to maintain contact.”
“This area of health is often overlooked by wider society. Willow and the people who
work there will bring the best techniques and expertise into this one place. We are
really proud of what we have here.”
Willow Assessment and Treatment Unit is based at the Tom Rudd Unit on the site of
Moorgreen Hospital at West End on the outskirts of Southampton (SO30 3JB).
On Tuesday June 12 the unit will be officially opened between 3.30pm and
5.00pm by the Southern Health Chairman Simon Waugh and the Director of the
service Amy Hobson. There will also be the chance to tour the unit for the
media.
Ends
For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Jamie Stevenson, Media Manager, Southern Health Communications Tel: 023 8087 4320 Mob:
07766 443733 Email: jamie.stevenson@southernhealth.nhs.uk
About Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
We provide community health services, specialist mental health and learning disability services for
people across Hampshire and its surrounding area. We provide services for adults and children, as
well as Hampshire’s stop smoking service, Quit4Life, and the Hampshire Community Dental Service.
We operate from over 170 sites, serving a population of around 1.3 million people. We employ
approximately 8,000 staff.Our community services aim to bring health care closer to home, offering
community-based care to help people stay independent in their own homes.