Borough base for new Eating Disorders Hospital for Derbyshire youths

The Erewash borough is to be the home of a new hospital serving Derbyshire and surrounding areas, providing one of the most under-supplied medical services in the UK.

Ellern Mede, an independent specialist eating disorders hospital group, has announced that it will provide 17 eating disorder beds described as "much needed" at the site in Breaston by the end of 2021, supported by an on-site school.

The hospital will offer a new closer-to-home treatment option for young patients up to the age of 25 who have eating disorders and live in the Midlands, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire.

The news comes at a time when eating disorders cases have been rising significantly for many years, but even more so since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on availability of medical services.  The BEAT eating disorder charity recently said that, during the pandemic, they had seen more and more people become ill or relapse, and NHS waiting lists growing alarmingly whilst The Guardian newspaper recently issued a report on recent statistics. 

The Breaston-based hospital will also provide around 100 new jobs by the time the hospital is fully operational, with recruitment already actively under way.

Ellern Mede Derby is a purpose-rebuilt two ward, 17-bed, specialist eating disorder intensive care hospital in Breaston to the east of Derby.   One ward will be for young people up to age 18 and the other for 18 to 25 year old young adults.  It is very well located for patients in both Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, accessible from the M1 and A52.

Andy Ambler, mental health nurse and manager of the new hospital, lives just a few miles from the new site.  He said: “There has never been a greater number of people with eating disorders needing inpatient and outpatient care than now. The UK’s public and private service providers all admit that demand exceeds the supply whether it is for beds, day patient services or community support. 

Ellern Mede specialises in inpatient treatment. Most patients who access our highly specialist and intensive service have to be funded by the NHS. This is because treatment programmes can be long, for example three to six months in hospital or longer. Length of stay is related to patients having complex symptoms, which with eating disorders is often the case."

Local job opportunities
Ellern Mede employs a high staff to patient ratio because of the intensive care needs of most patients.  Ellern Mede’s unique method is to bring a diverse Multi-Disciplinary Team of clinicians to every patient.

On the current recruitment drive, Andy said: “Working for Ellern Mede is a wonderful opportunity for healthcare professionals who enjoy working with young people.  Because the service is experienced and expert in handling even the most serious cases, the hands-on training and learning a healthcare assistant or nurse receives is significant and highly specialist.”

The range of roles now being recruited includes healthcare assistants, nurses (RMNs, RNLDs, RGNs and Paediatric), as well as Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Social Workers, Family Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Dietitians and Activity Co-ordinators.  Support staff include Receptionists, Administrators, Housekeepers, Catering Staff and Maintenance Technicians.  “Several roles have already been filled and we are holding recruitment Open Events, and Market Stall events in local areas,” explained Andy Ambler.

The hospital is on schedule for opening in November 2021.

“We are actively seeking applications for all of these roles on our website at www.ellernmede.org.  You can also email your CV and indicate interest to derby @ ellernmede.org" said Andy, who is open to calls on telephone: 01332 949513.

Purpose-built property benefits
The refurbishment and building extension project currently underway for Ellern Mede Derby is the site of what was formerly known as Middlestead House, which was previously an independent mental health care provider for people with learning disabilities. All aspects of the existing building are being redesigned and refurbished along with significant additional newbuild new structures and layouts.

Andy said: “Our new hospital meets all the design principles conducive to recovery like open spaces, wide corridors, access to natural daylight, en-suite bedrooms and pleasant gardens. It is close to both the NHS Hospitals in Derby and Nottingham as it is situated in an area of Derby that is close to the Nottinghamshire border.”

“When the hospital is registered with the Care Quality Commission and is fully operational it will be a welcome service for NHS commissioners as it will improve availability of eating disorder beds for patients from the midlands area. It is hoped that many more patients will be able to access this specialist inpatient eating disorder treatment closer to their family and home address. This is in keeping with the NHS’ treatment close to home commitment laid out in the NHS 5 Year Forward Plan for Mental Health.” 

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