A NEW mental health centre is set to open in Pendle in the new year as part of a £15million shake-up of services across East Lancashire.

Work is just about completed on the new Pendle House, Leeds Road, Nelson, under the direction of Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Among the community services moving to the Nelson development are the older adults community mental health and assertiveness outreach team, currently housed on the Lomeshaye Business Park, just outside Nelson.

The eating disorder service for the area, presently based in Brunswick Street, Burnley, will move to Pendle House, as will the Lamont Clinic, at Burnley General Hospital.

A Lancashire Care spokesman said: "The mental health centres have been developed across Lancashire following investment of £15 million to make mental health services and outpatient treatment more accessible to local people.

"The new centres will bring all existing and new community teams together into one shared base.

"Over the past few years huge progress has been made in improving and modernising mental health services in the community.

"More than £32 million has been invested across Lancashire in a range of new community mental health services for people with severe and long-term mental health problems.

"This has led to the emergence of a number of new teams - crisis and home treatment, assertive outreach and early intervention teams."

The move follows the reorganisation of nearby Rossendale's community mental health services into a single building in Rawtenstall. Outpatients services from Rossendale Hospital, a team based at Dearden House, in Deardengate, Haslingden, and the older adults liaison team at Burnley General, are now based at Balladen House.

Blueprints are still being discussed to open four major new in-patients units at four locations across the county, including one in East Lancashire.

So far Pendle appears to be the preferred site for the new mental health hospital project, with no fewer than three of the five stated options centring on the borough.

Health chiefs will choose between sites at Gibb Hill, in Nelson, Regent Street, Colne, Reedley Hallow, Fence, Burnley General and Shuttleworth Mead, near Padiham.