Young people make their mark on new mental health facilities
Young people and staff marked a special stage in the construction of the new £21million mental health services hub for children, young people and families today by taking part in a steel signing ceremony.
The ceremony marked a significant point in the schedule for the new building. Patients, staff and other people involved in the project were invited to sign messages on a structural steel beam before watching it being craned into position.
The new facilities will be located on an existing Trust site on Mansfield Road in Nottingham. The development will include a brand new Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Adolescent Unit, which will replace the current Thorneywood Adolescent Unit on Porchester Road in Nottingham, and will result in a significant increase in beds from the current 12 to 24, with an additional 8 bed Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit. The existing building on the site will be refurbished to create a base for CAMHS outpatient services and a new Education Facility for young people using the Adolescent Unit who are away from their own schools.
In addition, the Trust’s Perinatal Mother and Baby Unit at the Queen’s Medical Centre will move to a new building on the site and its number of beds will increase from 6 to 8. The service provides vital support for mums who have serious mental health problems shortly before or after having a baby. A separate steel signing ceremony will be held for this building in the New Year.
Paul Smeeton, Executive Director for Local Partnerships, said: “This event was a fantastic opportunity for young people and staff to get involved in a symbolic stage of this important development, writing individual and personal messages which will always remain part of the main frame of the building. These brand new state of the art facilities will make a huge difference to the lives of children, young people and families locally who need to use these services.”
The development is being project managed by the Trust’s Capital Planning Unit and is being undertaken in partnership with Kier Construction and Gilling Dod Architects. It is due for completion in Spring 2018. For more information visit www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/cyperi
