Mental health services in Bury St Edmunds could be relocated to a new purpose-built facility being created in the town, it has been revealed.

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), which runs services on two sites in Hospital Road, has expressed an interest in moving to facilities at the Western Way Development in 2023.

The initiative would result in a one-stop shop with other public services, giving the local population better access, shorter waiting times, and would reduce running costs.

St Edmundsbury Borough Council is a leading a project to create a new integrated ‘Public Service Village’ for health and community services as part of a masterplan for the Western Way site agreed in 2016.

Julie Cave, NSFT managing director, outlined the plans to improve mental health services in west Suffolk at a meeting held in public at the Diss Business Hub.

She said the trust’s current premises in Bury St Edmunds are outdated and “no longer fit for purpose”.

“It’s still very early days but we believe the Public Service Village presents our organisation, service users and carers with many opportunities,” she said.

“Many of the community services we provide in Hospital Road are based in old hospital wards which are no longer fit-for-purpose and offer little, if any, opportunity for integrated working relationships with other services within the trust and key partner organisations.

“We have agreed a memo of understanding with the borough council and are working with them and key health stakeholders to develop a business case for facilities which will provide integrated services.”

She added that if the scheme progresses, staff, NSFT governors, service users and carers would be closely involved in further developing plans.

The trust’s West Suffolk Integrated Delivery Team (IDT) is based at the Hospital Road site and provides a range of specialist community mental health services, including for older people and children, families and young people (CFYP).

Other staff based at the site include maintenance and transport staff, and people working for Suffolk Wellbeing – which provides a range of support for people with common mental health and emotional issues.