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# Health chiefs proposing to continue long term with changes made following fire at mental health facility in Mile Oak
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/health-chiefs-proposing-to-continue-long-term-with-changes-made-following-fire-at-mental-health-facility-in-mile-oak/
- Published: 2022-08-20T06:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2022-08-19T08:21:22.000Z
- Description: Health chiefs have put forward a plan to continue long term with changes made in the wake of a fire at a mental health facility in Mile Oak.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Health, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 19:11, News

Health chiefs have put forward a plan to continue long term with changes made in the wake of a fire at a mental health facility in Mile Oak.

The George Bryan Centre had provided 31 beds for adults suffering from severe mental illness or dementia before a wing was destroyed by a blaze in 2019.

The fire meant in-patient provision was moved to St George’s in Stafford.

Now the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has put forward a proposal to the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) which would see the beds remain in Stafford long term along with an enhanced focus on community provision.

Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, chief medical officer for the ICB said:

> “This isn’t a final decision we’ve made, but we have considered the matter and decided that it should now move to the NHS England assurance process.  
>  
> “The case put to us was that the proposal would be better for patients as it’s now recognised treating patients with mental health needs in the community is preferable to inpatient hospital stays in all but the most serious cases.  
>  
> “Enhanced services are now being provided in the community with more improvements planned.  
>  
> “St George’s is also a much larger facility than the George Bryan Centre was, with more scope to care for patients with a broader range of needs and with staff that have a greater range of specialisms.  
>  
> “Importantly, we were shown it will be better for the recruitment and retention of specialist mental health staff who are in short supply nationally and who need to be deployed in the most effective way.  
>  
> “We have been given assurance that issues relating to travel are being examined so that people will have support to travel to Stafford if necessary.”  
>  
> Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones

Following the NHS England assurance process next month, the decision making will revert to the ICB to decide whether any further engagement is required with the public and other stakeholders.