BACK in April, mental health bosses in York announced that the city was, finally, to get a new psychiatric hospital.

The decision was made after Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors said Bootham Park was no longer up to the job of providing modern psychiatric inpatient care.

Because the building is Grade 1 listed, Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group was told it could not be altered enough to make it fit to remain as the city’s mental health hospital.

That may now have changed. English Heritage has suggested it may after all be possible to alter some newer parts of the building so that it can been made fit for purpose.

Other options are also being looked at, however, including building a new hospital on land owned by The Retreat.

Young mental health patients at Lime Trees, meanwhile – which was also deemed unsuitable by CQC inspectors – are expected to transfer to Mill Lodge in Huntington Road within six months, in a move which may be permanent.

In one sense, it doesn’t matter where in York mental health inpatient care is provided. What does matter is that it should be of the very best quality possible, in surroundings that are suitable.

Psychiatric staff in York have struggled for too long to look after extremely vulnerable patients in conditions that are just not up to the job.

The sooner this situation can be remedied, the better. Psychiatric care should not be a Cinderella service just because the illnesses it deals with are of the mind, not the body.