Bristol’s only NHS detox unit for people trying to get off alcohol or drugs has been given a reprieve, after thousands of people signed a petition protesting against its closure.
The Acer unit at Southmead Hospital is the only NHS-run detox unit in the south west, but Bristol Live revealed back on January 20 that health bosses had decided to close it at the end of March.
Recovering drug addicts and alcoholics said they owed their lives to the short stays in the Acer unit at Southmead, and thousands signed a petition calling for a rethink on its closure.
The ten-bed unit is run by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP), and there was uncertainty over its funding from April 1 after Bristol City Council decided not to renew a block booking of five beds there.
Thousands of people signed a petition calling for it to be saved and now, after an investigation by Bristol Live revealed how the complex way it was funded left it vulnerable to closure, health chiefs and council chiefs have got together and agreed a reprieve.
AWP said it now plans to continue to keep the ward open after April 1, and will consult more widely over its long term future. They said they recognised the importance of the ward, formally known as the Acer Substance Misuse Recovery Inpatient unit, and were ‘proud’ of the service it provides.
“We are aware of the strong feelings which have been expressed towards Acer over recent weeks,” an AWP spokesperson said. “This is a service we are proud of and we recognise the impact Acer has had for those individuals and families who have used it. The contracts to provide medically supported detoxification treatment at Acer end on March 31, 2025. We thank Bristol City Council, the North Somerset consortium and other organisations which have commissioned this service for their ongoing support,” he added.
“We have listened to the concerns which have been raised (over the planned closure of Acer when those contracts cease) and following further internal discussions, we now plan to continue running a service at Acer beyond April 1 to enable a period of time to engage and consult widely on the longer-term viability, sustainability and demand for the service. A decision on the longer-term future of the service can then be taken in partnership
“We will share further details about this process which will include staff, patients, partners, stakeholders and the wider community, as soon as possible.
“We would like to thank all those who have shared their views on Acer so far, and we appreciate the ongoing commitment and support of our staff during what we appreciate is a period of significant uncertainty,” he added.
AWP had taken the decision to close the Acer unit after they learned the block booking contract, which expires on March 31, was not being renewed by Bristol City Council. The mental health trust had said losing the certainty of this block booking made it financially uncertain and unsustainable. Bristol City Council said it had put its drug and alcohol rehabilitation services out to tender and opted to award the contract to an organisation called Turning Point, which didn’t have any similar facility itself to the unit in the south west and had intended to send people to the Acer unit.
Last week, Bristol Live revealed how this complex funding process meant the unit risked falling between two stools of commissioning organisations, something the Integrated Care Board, which brings together local authorities and health trusts, is supposed to prevent.
Now, the immediate threat to the future of the Acer unit is over, AWP said it would be consulting widely on the long term future of its service, while it is still being kept open.