Harrowlands sold to specialist health organisation

Harrowlands, a former NHS neurological rehabilitation care centre in Dorking has been sold to Partnerships in Care (PiC), a professional healthcare organisation that specialises in care for those with mental health problems and learning difficulties.

Following a robust tendering process, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust sold the premises last Thursday (9th November) to PiC for £3.75million. The proceeds from the sale will help the Trust to meet its obligation to reduce borrowing needs.

A new name for the facility has already been chosen by the new owners and it will be called Pelham Woods. The centre is expected to open in late 2007 and around 40 jobs will be created to help manage and run the centre.

A spokesperson for Partnerships in Care said: “The premises at Pelham Woods, Dorking, will allow us to provide much needed services to disadvantaged women who are in need of specialist care in a quality environment.

“We have 18 facilities located around the UK currently providing in excess of 900 bed spaces. Services we provide include specialist units for people with mental illness, learning disabilities, brain injury, rehabilitation units and community placements for supportive living. A high staff/patient ratio is a feature of our service together with staff training and development which are a top priority”.

Notes to Editors:

Background

• The service at Harrowlands was closed because in recent years, the way neurological rehabilitation care is delivered has changed. Rehabilitation teams now work with patients in the community and in their home environment rather than in hospital. For this reason, PCTs changed the way rehabilitation services were funded in 2003 and transferred funding from acute trusts to community services.
• Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust were unable to continue managing the service at Harrowlands without the necessary funding (the unit cost £1.5million per annum) and a decision was made in July 2005 to close the unit. This followed unsuccessful efforts to transfer the service to alternative providers.