A NEW “urgent care” ward is set to be opened at Harlow’s hospital, after the proposals were approved. The development will see an “unused” former ward at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow transformed into the “modern urgent” mental health care and assessment unit.

The plans show the new unit will have two assessment rooms, a clinic room, a triage room, a discharge lounge, and some office space. The plans state the new hospital ward “will improve local access to urgent mental health assessment.” The documents also state it will “support the hospital care pathway, demonstrating clear community benefit.”

It is part of a wider investment in Essex mental health services by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), which will also include a new unit at Colchester Hospital. Harlow District Council has given the proposals the green light.

The planning documents state the proposals respond to the “identified need for timely mental health assessment and supports patient flow.”

It comes as EPUT has faced criticisms from campaigners and has been the subject of the UK’s first public inquiry into mental health deaths. The inquiry is looking into more than 2,000 deaths of people who were under the care of the mental health trust.

The Lampard Inquiry, which is ongoing, will aim to understand the circumstances around the deaths of child and adult inpatients, who were under the care of the NHS trust, between the years 2000 and the end of 2023.

The council’s planning officer, who reviewed the plans, called the proposals acceptable with regards to design, size, scale, character and appearance and impact. They also stated it would not result in unacceptable impacts to neighbouring amenity.