PLANS to convert a care home into York's first specialist facility for elderly people with mental health problems have been hailed by a senior city councillor.

Coun Sue Galloway welcomed the proposals for Morrell House, in Burton Stone Lane, which were going before a City of York Council social services meeting today.

She said the facility would plug a key deficiency in the authority's provision for pensioners with Alzheimer's and other mental health conditions.

Lack of beds in such a facility is also a major factor behind delayed discharges from hospital, Coun Galloway said.

As the National Alzheimer's Society Awareness Week draws to a close, she told the Evening Press that an estimated 2,400 people suffer some form of dementia in York.

That figure was likely to increase by a further 200 in the next decade - making it even more important for Morrell House plans to get the green light.

Coun Galloway said today it was vital the council and other authorities acted now to start tackling the potential mental health time bomb.

The Liberal Democrat executive member for health and social services said: "The council's initiative in deciding to turn Morrell House into the first council-run provision specifically designed for those elderly people suffering dementia is a big step forward, but must be seen as part of a wider picture.

"Nationally there are around 750,000 people who suffer dementia and this figure is increasing.

"York does not escape from this trend - it is a 'greying' city with a higher proportion of people over 60 than the national average."

Coun Galloway said York was a healthy city, with people living longer.

In the next decade there is a forecast growth in York of ten per cent of those aged over 65 and 17 per cent of those aged over 85, she said, compared with a national average of 8.3 per cent and 10.9 per cent respectively.

"It is estimated there could be as many as 2,600 people with a cognitive disability living in York by 2011," said Coun Galloway.

A proposed budget of £631,000 has been set aside for the project and officers have asked councillors to agree the proposals. If approved by the council's ruling executive, work could start in August.

Updated: 08:23 Thursday, July 08, 2004