CEREDIGION county councillors are backing plans to convert a residential home into an integrated mental health facility fit for the 21st century.

Awel Deg, a council-run home in Llandysul, was closed in February 2014 following the suspension of 11 members of staff and concerns about standards of care.

At the time the council said it intended to re-open the home as a dementia care centre within six months, but such hopes were not realised and Awel Deg’s 40 members­ of staff were subsequently made redundant.

However, members of Ceredigion County Council’s Special Healthier Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee last week approved a recommendation for the building – situated on The Beeches estate – to be given a new lease of life for the benefit of residents all over south Ceredigion.

The proposed new 24-hour integrated mental health facility and dementia assessment unit would initially be jointly run by the council and the Hywel Dda University Health Board prior to a gradual transfer to an independent social enterprise over time.

A Hywel Dda spokesperson said: “As a health board we see this as a fantastic opportunity to do something different and attract quality staff.

“We feel that the one way we can meet the needs of the population of Ceredigion is working in a different way.”

Local county councillor Peter Evans said: “My hope is that some of the people who lost their jobs when Awel Deg closed two years ago might be re-employed.

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