Bodmin Community Hospital

Electro-convulsive therapy is provided from the hospital for the treatment of severe depression, usually when other treatments have not been effective.

Clinic times are Tuesdays and Fridays, 8am to 1pm. Call the clinic on 01208 834 250.

What is electro-convulsive therapy, and what is it used for?

Electro-convulsive therapy is often misunderstood and misrepresented. People who opt for this as a treatment often become advocates for its effectiveness. Over a 3-week to 6-week period you will receive between 6 and 12 treatments. It will sometimes be given once every couple of weeks or once a month to prevent a recurrence of symptoms.

Electro-convulsive therapy is given under general anaesthetic and treatment usually takes no more than 10 minutes. During treatment, a tiny amount of electric current is sent to the brain. This affects the entire brain and repeated treatments alter the brains chemical messages bringing them back to normal.

Our electro-convulsive therapy booklet 2019 [PDF] 655 KB tells you more about the treatment and what to expect. We have also developed an electro-convulsive therapy diary and workbook to support you through your treatment journey.

If you think you might benefit from this treatment, you will need to be referred by a consultant psychiatrist. Electro-convulsive therapy is available at this clinic to people from Devon and Cornwall.

• Minor injury unit, access by using NHS 111 online or by calling 111.
• X-ray open 8am to 8pm Monday to Sunday, including bank holidays.
• Inpatient care.
• Outpatient clinics.
• Free parking.
• Disabled parking and access.
• Café.

Bodmin Community Hospital does not provide dental services. Find out how to access dental services.

If you need urgent, but not emergency, NHS care in Cornwall, contact NHS 111.

Just contact NHS 111 by phone or online at any time of day or night, to find out where you should go and when.

If needed, expert clinicians will arrange for you to be seen at the emergency department or at our range of other treatment units. Do not just turn up, as you may be directed elsewhere or have to wait longer.

This will help the NHS manage the flow of patients when capacity in waiting rooms is much smaller than before, to maintain distancing and reduce the risk of infection.

It means you will get the right treatment, more quickly and probably closer to home as well.

View the latest minor injury unit opening and waiting times.

Visiting Cornwall?

And if you’re a visitor to Cornwall, you do not need to look up details of NHS services if you need urgent treatment, just call 111 or use the 111 online service.

The hospital has a charitable fund. This is used to improve patient services. The hospital is also generously supported by the League of Friends:

Secretary: Ann Gregan

• Email the Hospital's League of Friends
• Visit the Bodmin Hospital League of Friends website

The ward has 12 beds providing inpatient care for elderly patients and patients who require rehabilitation following surgery or illness.

The ward has use of a detox bed where patients who have alcohol addiction can come and stay during their recovery.

There is a dedicated space for patients nearing the end of their life which is a quiet area for them to be with their families. The ward provides care for amputee patients with individual therapy pathways which are tailored to the patient's personal needs and requirements.

How to contact your relative

You can call the main ward telephone number on 01208 251 388. Alternatively the ward has a handset telephone which can be taken to your relative. The number to contact is 01208 251 571. Patients can use their own mobile telephones on the ward.

The Ward Sister is Donna Stanyon.

Protected mealtimes

The ward has protected mealtimes between midday to 1pm and from 5pm to 6pm, however if you would like to help your relative to eat and drink you are welcome to stay on the ward.

Student nurses and nurse apprentices

The ward supports student nurses and nurse apprentices.

Bowman is a psychiatric low secure unit with a focus on rehabilitation and recovery. It provides treatment and care for up to 12 men aged 18 and over.

Bowman provides a homely environment for men who can be residents for up to 2 years. All the patients have severe and long-term mental healthcare. They will often have been treated in units outside Cornwall and admission to Bowman brings them into closer contact with their family and friends.

Patients on Bowman have their own en-suite bedroom and access to:

• a gym
• recreation room with a pool table
• bicycles
• kayaks
• a therapeutic garden

The focus of our staff is to prove treatment, therapy, and life skills to help prepare the men to live outside a psychiatric unit. To help achieve this, we have forged strong links with the local community allowing the men to participate in a selection of everyday social activities.

We are very proud that a number of patients have enrolled on courses run by some of our local colleges. Some have gone on to further education while others are in employment.

Bowman works very closely with our rehabilitation service, Fettle House, and our psychiatric intensive care unit, Harvest.

If you need to contact the ward, call 01208 251 439.

Referrals

Referrals to the unit are usually made by a professional within the Psychiatric Service. The very specialist nature of the unit means it is unable to take self-referrals or referrals from GPs.

Bodmin Community Assessment and Treatment Unit has 22 beds providing inpatient care for elderly patients and patients who require rehabilitation following surgery or illness.

The unit has use of a day case bed where patients come in for the day for their treatment and are supported fully before they are ready to go home. Therefore not requiring an overnight stay.

There is a dedicated space for patients nearing the end of their life which is a quiet area for them to be with their families.

How to contact your relative

You can call the main unit telephone number on 01208 251 565. Alternatively the unit has a handset telephone which can be taken to your relative. The number to contact is 01208 251 305. Patients can also use their own mobile telephones.

The Ward Sister is Julie MacKinnon.

Protected mealtimes

The unit has protected mealtimes between midday and 1pm, and from 5pm to 6pm. However if you would like to help your relative to eat and drink you are welcome to stay on the unit.

Garner Ward is the county’s specialist dementia ward offering assessment and treatment of organic mental health problems with dementia.

Memory problems can cause distress, anxiety or agitation. This can happen for a number of reasons. We work with our patients to understand what triggers this behaviour and what can be done to help alleviate them.

Our ward staff like to get to know their patients and their likes and dislikes. This helps to ensure they are supported more effectively. Our aim is to get our patients to a level of functioning, which allows them to return home to their family or make the transfer to a care home. As soon as a patient is admitted, the staff will start to make plans with the patient and their family to allow this to happen.

With support from the King’s Fund's Enhancing the Healing Environment Programme, a family lounge and garden was created on the ward. All patients have their own en-suite bedrooms, access to therapeutic activities, lounges, and sensory areas.

Read our pre-admission leaflet for carers or view our patient information pack.

Visiting a patient

We have an open ward policy. This means you can visit at any time. We encourage relatives to visit during mealtimes if you would like to.

Our patients can receive 2 visitors at any time. You must wear a face mask in clinical areas, but these can be taken off if you are eating or drinking with your relative.

Please sign in and out of the ward.

We keep our visiting policy under constant review. If we have an outbreak of an infectious disease, we may change our policy. If you need more information, please talk to a member of staff.

If you need to contact the ward, call 01208 251 334.

The main or Mews car parks offer easy access to the ward and both include disabled parking spaces.

Similar to an intensive treatment unit in a general hospital, Harvest provides intensive treatment to people aged 18 years or above. Harvest Ward offers a higher level of nursing input so it is better able to care for those who are most unwell.

If you are very unwell due to your mental health, you may be treated on Harvest psychiatric intensive care unit. You will have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Admissions can be made at any time, All inpatients have their own en-suite bedroom. A gym, activity room, lounge, garden and outdoor recreation areas are available to patients.

The aim is to provide a short burst of treatment to enable you to recover to a point where you can transfer to a psychiatric admission, rehabilitation unit or to go home.

The staff on the unit provide a short intensive burst of treatment to enable patients to recover to a point where they can return to a normal psychiatric unit or even go home. If Harvest is not the best place for you to receive treatment, the ward will make a referral to another service.

Harvest supports people from Devon and Cornwall, and works closely with all our psychiatric wards.

As our patients are very unwell, there are certain restrictions in place.

Parking

The link car park is free and provides for easy access to Harvest. Disabled parking spaces are available in this car park.

Referrals

Referrals to Harvest are usually made by a range of healthcare professionals.

Contact the unit

Call 01208 251 450.

The unit has 9 beds providing inpatient care for patients who require rehabilitation following a brain injury, for example, a stroke.

The unit has its own therapy team to help patients with their recovery, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists.

How to contact your relative

You can call the main ward telephone number as above or alternatively the ward has a handset telephone which can be taken to your relative. The number to contact is 01208 251 571. Patients can use their own mobile telephones on the ward.

Protected mealtimes

The ward has protected mealtimes between midday and 1pm and from 5pm to 6pm. However if you would like to help your relative to eat and drink you are welcome to stay on the ward.

Student nurses and nurse apprentices

The ward supports student nurses and nurse apprentices.