£400 million pledged to remove dormitories from mental health facilities

13 October 2020

The government has pledged funding to remove dormitories from mental health facilities. This will replace outdated mental health dormitories with single en-suite rooms.

Our CEO Mark Winstanley has responded to this news:

“When people are at their most unwell they should expect to receive care in a safe and therapeutic environment which supports their recovery. We therefore welcome the news that the government has committed over £400m to fulfil their pledge to eliminate dormitory accommodation from mental health services. These archaic facilities have historically compromised people’s right to privacy and dignity and sometimes their safety during their treatment – often proving harmful, in many cases dangerous.

“The recommendation to replace dormitory accommodation was one of more than 150 recommendations made by the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act nearly two years ago. It’s crucial that the full ambition of the independent review is soon realised so that we take tangible steps to reform, resigning characteristics such as these to the past and moving closer to modern legislation which is capable of delivering a higher standard of care.”