A FULL business case must be drawn up to see if a proposal to turn a Llandysul council care home into a dedicated mental health facility can proceed.

Ceredigion County Council and Hywel Dda Health Board have been working together to see if the Awel Deg home in Llandysul could become a mental health facility with a 24-hour mental health centre and dementia assessment unit.

A feasibility report from Social Firms Wales has suggested that the proposal should be moved forward, with the council and health board forming an official partnership before setting up a social enterprise to take over the running of the new facility. But council Cabinet members said they wanted to see a full business plan drawn up to see if the idea could provide savings and efficiencies for both organisations.

The report insisted that the main idea behind the proposal was to provide better mental health services, but it could also lead to financial savings for the two cash-strapped authorities.

But despite backing for the proposal, Cabinet members agreed that a full business case was needed before proceeding further.

Cllr Dafydd Edwards added: “We need full costings in the business plan and not to run away with this. We all want it and all believe in it, but we need to know the exact funding issues.”

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