Acute and PICU beds available - Tuesday 24 December

If you need help placing a person in crisis our PICU and ACUTE ward teams are here 24/7 to support you. 

Current availability:

Female PICU ward - 4 beds in Essex

Male ACUTE wards - 2 beds in Essex, 4 beds in Northampton

Male PICU wards - 4 beds in Essex, 8 beds in Northampton 

You can make a PICU or ACUTE referral across any of our seven wards by sending an email to our central inbox, or ringing the referral line: 

Email:  sah.picuacute@nhs.net
Tel: 0800 434 6690

*All of our high dependency wards can accept people with a secondary diagnosis of Personality Disorder, and we offer DBT skills as a treatment option

Our Neuro Rapid Response teams can also accept referrals for people with complex dementia, HD or an ABI who require require rapid stabilisation and intensive therapy in a safe environment.

For out of hours Neuro Rapid Response referrals please call: Complex dementia 01604 616 457 or 616 000 (bleep 820), ABI or HD 01604 616 000 

> Receive daily updates direct to your inbox. Email us at update@stah.org and ask to be added to our Daily PICU Update.

Martin experienced a mental health breakdown

Aged 38, Martin suffered a break down and was admitted into St Andrew's PICU in Essex, where he was treated for just over three months. His psychosis was precipitated by a relationship break-up, and his unpredictable and sometimes unsafe behaviour worried his family and friends. 

At the times of his admission, Martin admits he was angry and confused and this manifested itself in aggression towards staff and damaging property. Consistent medication and therapy helped him significantly improve and he was discharged just before Christmas 2022.

During his hospital stay, Martin said it was his children that gave him hope and inspired him to get better. Now, he is working full time at an airport and is an advocate and volunteer for St Andrew's, supporting at events and sharing his story.