Over the past few years, older adult mental health services have been on a journey of transformation. We are responding to the changing needs of our community by developing services that better support individuals and their families.
We are moving more of our services to where our patients want them; home first wherever possible, the best of hospitals when that’s not. This means that more people in need are supported to remain independent and with their loved ones for as long as possible.
We are proud that recent developments – on local and national scales - are enhancing the quality and consistency of care for our communities. We're also proud to care for older members of our Black Country communities and do so with the needs of service users - and their families - at the forefront of everything we do.
Older Adult care is changing on a national scale. A national programme to support UK virtual wards — also known as ‘Hospital at Home’ — launched in England in 2022. This service allows people to receive treatment and care in their homes while maintaining regular contact with health professionals.
Research has shown that virtual wards can significantly reduce the length of a patient’s stay, and staff who participate in virtual ward programmes gain additional knowledge and clinical skills.
Locally, we have invested approximately £50m into two of our new older adult inpatient facilities.
The units 
at Dorothy Pattison Hospital in Walsall and Edward Street Hospital in Sandwell provide state-of-the-art, safer, and more dignified environments for older adults with dementia and functional mental health conditions. Where people need to be in hospital, it will be in the best possible facilites.
We are well-placed to provide a range of community-based care for Older Adults within the Black Country. These help to keep people in their homes and with their loved ones for as long as possible. The services that help to facilitate this are Admiral Nurses, Older Adult Therapeutic Services (OATS) and In Reach to Care Homes.
Admiral Nurses
The Black Country Admiral Nurse Service was established in 2021 and has continued to expand, providing vital support to families in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
The team work alongside key dementia partners across the Black Country and meet with them on a weekly basis to discuss complex cases and referrals. They are also proud to work alongside their Royal British Legion Admiral Nursing colleagues to ensure support is provided for veterans and their beneficiaries.
Older Adult Therapeutic Services
The OATS teams have bases in each of our four localities, with each team including specialist nurses, Occupational Therapists and Therapy Assistants.
OATS works to promote recovery for all, with dementia and non-dementia pathways. These offer patients the chance to take part in a range of groups - including ones that use football as the driver for cognitive stimulation and togetherness, to one-to-one sessions focused on educating the patient on their condition, coping mechanisms and next steps.
The team is also proud to participate in national research, working with other Trusts across the country to further knowledge and shape future treatments.
In Reach to Care Homes
Helping people to stay well and remain in familiar care settings is at the heart of the In Reach to Care Home service, which was set up by Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in 2021.
The team work with GPs and other professionals to ensure residents receive comprehensive care, tailored to their needs.
One such home that has benefited from the In Reach to Care Home service is Allerton Court in West Bromwich, which supports people aged 65+ with nursing and residential care. Since launching the service, the team has had a significant impact, supporting over 400 residents avoiding hospital admissions.
The In Reach to Care Homes Service is just one of the many ways we are enhancing community support for older people across the Black Country, ensuring they remain in the most appropriate settings.
We have been on a journey of transformation across our older adult services for several years, actively involving a wide range of stakeholders — including patients, staff, carers, and the public — in shaping our plans.
Is Hospital at Home as safe as inpatient care?
The service is designed to provide the same level of care and treatment as a hospital setting. Patients are closely monitored by a team of experienced clinicians including consultants, nurses and therapists, using tailored methods such as video/telephone consultations and remote monitoring devices.
Will patients receover as quickly if they're at home?
Evidence suggests that patients recover faster at home, where they can maintain their independence and daily routines. The Hospital at Home model supports this by offering personalised care in familiar surroundings. This can reduce stress and promote wellbeing—especially important for older adults and those living with dementia.
What if there's an emergency? Can patients still get help if they're at home?
The new service includes crisis and home treatment support available seven days a week. The team will respond to urgent needs for assessment and treatment, helping to prevent hospital admissions. This level of support goes beyond what current community services offer and ensures that help is available when it’s needed most.
Are these changes just coming in to save money?
While finances are a factor, the main reason is to improve quality and safety. Older adult wards in Dudley and Wolverhampton are outdated and face regulatory challenges. Rather than investing heavily in buildings that are not fit for purpose, we’re focusing on delivering care in two state-of-the-art facilities and enhancing community services to better meet current and future needs.
What will be the impact on carers?
Carers are a key group when considering these changes. Throughout the process of transformation, we have engaged with carers networks to understand their priorites, taking these into account throughout our engagement.
Hear from some of our patients who have spent time with our Older Adults team in light of a mental health diagnosis:
[Ellie video]
[Admiral nurse case sudy]
Our Older Adult Therapeutic Services team has also recently taken part in key national research around new therapies for dementia. You can read about this here: https://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/articles/trust-leading-national-study-dementia-therapy
We work within the Black Country, supporting the people of the Black Country.
Through local partnerships, community engagement and our Black Country Brighter Lives charity, we make sure that the positive impact of our work is felt beyond our patients and their families.
We are proud to work alongside our communities to co-design and -deliver mental health, learning disability and autism support, right across the Black Country.
We want our communities to feel deeply understood and cared for by our
Best-for-the-Black-Country approach. By working alongside our communities we grow our understanding and deliver person-centred care informed by that understanding.
Learn more about our work with communities by visiting: https://www.blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk/about-us/with-our-communities
Local partnerships
We are multi-disciplinary by nature. We need a range of voices and expertise in order to provide our patients with the best possible support as they learn about their condition and how to move through life in light of their diagnosis. Each member of our Older Adults team is instrumental in provided a well-rounded service to our patients, as well as supporting their carers.
As we are rooted within the communities that we support, our partnerships are also key to the work that we do. These partnerships help us to remain a largely outpatient service, granting more freedom, independence and flexibility to patients.
“We act as a local team, but we have the benefit of accessing national resources to support those who we work with. Patients can be referred to us at any stage of their diagnosis and where this is done early, it allows us to work with BCHFT to offer a high standard of support, potentially reducing the need for inpatient care.” - Lee Allen, Alzheimer’s Society
Black Country Brighter Lives
Black Country Brighter Lives is the registered charity for Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. It exists to add extra value to the services that we are funded to provide to our patients, their families and our amazing staff that care for them.
This might be through enhancing treatment and recovery of our patients and making their stay more comfortable, supporting the health and wellbeing of the people that use our services, enhancing the buildings and grounds of the facilities where we deliver care, supporting vital research and training or providing activities for patients and their families on the wards or in the community.
Our charity can make a real difference to the lives of the people that use our services, our staff and the wider Black Country community.
Share your views on the future of Older Adult Mental Health Services in the Black Country by completing our survey by 31 October 2025: https://shorturl.at/6obce
You can also get in touch with any questions by contacting bchft.yoursay@nhs.net, using the subject line 'Older Adults'
