Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit

Information for visitors to inpatient wards/units.

We provide specialist, 24-hour inpatient care for people with severe mental illness, who have complex needs and are in acute crisis.

Our psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) is based at St Ann’s Hospital in Poole, and has a seven-bed ward for men and a five-bed ward for women.

The unit provides rapid intensive psychiatric treatment with enhanced levels of care, observation and security, for a discreet period of time.

It is staffed by a team of consultant psychiatrists, specialist nurses and other experienced healthcare professionals, who work closely with Community Mental Health Teams and colleagues at St Ann’s.

Patients are usually referred to the unit from acute mental health inpatient wards, prison healthcare teams and the Crisis Home Treatment Service