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The preferred option

June 2026:  Adult Mental Health Rehabilitation – Service Update

What’s happening

We have been looking at how mental health rehabilitation services are provided in Herefordshire and Worcestershire. We want to make sure care is safe, helpful, and supports people to live more independently.

After following a detailed process, and reviewing 3 different options, a preferred plan (called the preferred option) for the future has been identified.

The preferred option includes:

  • The proposed closure of Cromwell House Mental Health Rehabilitation Inpatient Unit.
  • The proposed closure of Oak House Mental Health Rehabilitation Inpatient Unit.
  • he development of a new Enhanced Community Mental Health Rehabilitation Team.

The proposed new Enhanced Community Rehabilitation Service would provide specialist support for people in their own homes or local community. This approach supports the NHS’s 10 Year Health Plan helping people stay closer to where they live and build independence.

 

Nothing is changing right now

We know this news may worry people and want to be clear that no changes will happen yet.

  • Cromwell House and Oak House will stay open
  • Patients will keep seeing their usual care teams

 

What happens next

Before anything can change, several steps must happen:

  • A Pre‑Consultation Business Case* (PCBC) must be finished
    A Clinical Senate** visit will take place on 18–19 August 2026.
  • This will include visiting the 3 sites and spending time with staff, patients (where appropriate) and service leads.
  • An NHS England assurance meeting*** will happen in November 2026 
     

If all of this is approved, a public consultation will run from January to March 2027. People will be able to share their views, and we will look at all the feedback before making final decisions.

 

Support for staff

We will keep staff updated and listen to their concerns. Drop‑in sessions are happening regularly, and recordings and links are available to all staff on the staff intranet.

 

* Pre‑Consultation Business Case is a detailed plan for what needs to happen before we ask people for their views.

**A Clinical Senate is an independent advisory group in the NHS. It gives clear, expert medical advice to help local health leaders plan better services for patients. Senate’s focus on what is best for the whole population rather than individual hospitals. 

***NHS England assurance meeting is a formal review. It is where local health organisations like NHS Trusts (us), or Integrated Care Boards (ICB’s), demonstrate health care services are safe, well-run, and meet national standards.