STAFF at a Devizes unit which helps people with complex learning disabilities reach their full potential have been commended for their work, only 18 months after the team came together.

The Daisy Unit, which is part of the Green Lane Hospital in Devizes, is run by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP).

The unit and its staff were shortlisted for a National Mental Health 2018 Award in the category of Learning Disability and Autism, which is supported by NHS Improvement.

On Thursday members of the team travelled to Liverpool for the awards ceremony and were delighted to receive a Highly Commended.

Daisy Unit service manager, Dan Wilkins, said: “We were thrilled to have been shortlisted for this award and to have received a Highly Commended is a huge honour. This achievement demonstrates the hard work and dedication of the team who provide the service.

“We strive to understand the uniqueness of each individual and provide a totally person-centred environment, which enables people to be managed safely and effectively but with the freedom to come and go as they please.”

Daisy Unit, which opened in January 2017, is a purpose-built unit designed by residents and clinicians and provides care home facilities within a building that is registered as a hospital. It was designed to provide a community model of care for people with complex needs, and its development was part of a national drive to close learning disability hospital places and provide better accommodation for people who need it.