Introducing Linden Ward

Introduction

Updated: 20 December 2024

Welcome to this YourSpace area where you can find the latest news and information about the move to Linden Ward. This is a community inpatient service for men and women with a learning disability who require assessment and treatment. It was formerly known as Fairhaven.

The site is on Birch Avenue in Warrington. It is currently being refurbished and will have six beds. It will continue to be part of the Trust's Secure Services Division. It is not itself a secure site.

Byron Ward is currently closed. This is a temporary situation and patients are being supported elsewhere. We expect the new Linden Ward to open in late January.

The Linden building has reached 'practical completion' (in Estates terminology). There is a staff room, a staff kitchen and an MDT room on site as well as lots of storage space. Signage, similar to that for the MSU and LSU which was chosen with service users, has been installed. Development of the large garden area is underway although some work on that will be left until next year.

The whole environment at Linden Ward has been transformed into a spacious, fit for purpose facility for the revised service. The corridors are light and airy and there's good line of sight.

Issues like alarms that are appropriate for the client group are being actively addressed. The Model of Care has been refreshed and has been seen by the Care Quality Commission. It will become part of the staff training for the new site and shared with stakeholders prior to the move.

SOPs (standard operating procedures) are being developed for Linden Ward. Training, particularly about the new environment and building functions, will be offered for staff soon. The building will be ready well before service users arrive or transfer to allow for plenty of staff familiarisation time.

We are working closely on making sure matters like staff facilities and car parking are addressed for staff and the wider MDT on site. We are also working with advocacy and our carers' engagement lead on the booklet information about the new service for when it opens. This will enable families and new admissions to be aware of what the site is about and what the visiting process is.

If you have any queries related to the site, please email: LindenWardFAQ@merseycare.nhs.uk

Click on the image below to see a slideshow of photos showing progress on the interior of the site.

Naming engagement

It is important that public buildings are easily identifiable for all patients, staff and visitors. It is also important that national guidelines for NHS branding and corporate branding for Mersey Care forms an essential part of each building’s identity.

The team would like to thank everyone who contributed ideas to our online process in the spring; we heard from a good range of people, including staff and wider stakeholders.

The name Linden was chosen as a warm, natural and friendly identity which is easy to say and spell. It's a relatively common name but is not in use locally for a similar health related function.

Latest news

New pictures of the development are being added to this site regularly.  Please check back for updates.

20 June 2024: Today the first new furniture for the site is being delivered and there's a lot of activity with tradespeople busy all around the build. Once the new furniture is set out, we'll post images of the rooms on this page.

5 July 2024: Furniture is on order. The fitting out of rooms is happening. Discussions with Byron Ward staff about the garden space and visiting the site are underway.

10 July 2024: Fitting out continues and staff visits are in the diary. There will be a period of checking of the site works (called 'snagging') in the next few weeks ahead of the site completion.

15 July 2024: Further staff visits have taken place and some of the signage has been installed.

22 July 2024: The new name for the ward - Linden - is announced.

7 August 2024: Our Horticulture Team and external partners are on site working on the garden area.

21 August 2024: New pathways are being set out in the garden and work is ongoing to reinstate the existing paths.

5 September 2024: Care Quality Commission visit the site. They were positive about the new clinical model. They will visit again in late October.

18 September 2024: Furniture fitting is happening this week.

2 October 2024: Refurbishment will be contractually complete at the end of this week. SOPs are being updated.

30 October 2024: The second CQC visit went well, with good feedback so far. We'll hear more in a couple of weeks.

13 November 2024: New site images are available on the slideshow above. Staff visits are planned.

29 November 2024: CQC registration of the site has been agreed.

20 December 2024: Staffing challenges at Byron Ward on the Hollins Park Site mean that the service has made a decision to ensure patient and staff safety by closing the ward. This closure is a short-term measure. When staffing improves, Byron Ward will reopen for the care of our patients on the ward at the Hollins Park Site and continue the planning to move to Linden Ward. As the ward is closed an incident response will not come from the ward and switchboard will direct any calls to Hodder Ward, at Maghull Health Park.