AN eight-bed unit in Malvern for people with mental health problems seems set to close after NHS officials stated demand for its services had dropped significantly'.

Sheffield House, in Court Road, was built in the mid-1980s, and offers in-patient care as well as other services including medication dispensing. A staff nurse currently working at Sheffield House, who asked not to be named, said that staff were told the unit was almost certain to close. There are currently five patients there.

The nurse said: "We were told that there will be a meeting about its future on March 18 but that it was just a formality. The reaction is one of disappointment and anger and it seems pretty obvious that it is a money-saving measure.

"A new home treatment scheme was started around two years ago, which has had some effect on our patient numbers, but to believe that closing Sheffield House will have no effect is simply not true."

Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust spokesman Tracey Broadley said no final decision had been taken. She said Sheffield House was built long before the development of community-based services designed to meet more specific needs. She said: "As a result, local demand for Sheffield House has dropped significantly." She said staff had been kept informed of discussions and the trust intends a policy of no redundancies.