Green light for £105m mental health unit
NEW FACILITY DUE TO OPEN IN 2024
HOSPITAL bosses have been given the green light for a new £105.9 million specialist mental health unit.
The UK Government has given its final approval for the major new site at North Manchester General Hospital.
It will replace Park House, the hospital’s existing mental health inpatient unit which provides assessment and treatment for adults and older people with mental health needs – including depression, schizophrenia, psychosis and dementia.
Neil Thwaite, chief executive at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) which runs the site, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have received government approval to go ahead with our ambitious and exciting plans to build a new mental health inpatient unit for Manchester.”
He added: “The new unit will transform the mental health inpatient experience for our service users, their families and our staff in Manchester.
“It will allow us to provide the best possible specialist mental health care in a cutting-edge building that offers a pleasant and therapeutic environment for all.
“Work has already started on site to clear older buildings ready for the main construction phase next year and we estimate the new inpatient unit will be open for patients in 2024.”
GMMH says replacing Park House has been a priority since the trust took on the building in 2017, due to its outdated dormitory-style accommodation and limited outdoor space.
The new state-of-the-art unit will include 150 single bedrooms with private en-suite bathrooms over nine single-sex wards - including a purposebuilt psychiatric intensive care unit, seven adult acute wards, and one older adults’ ward.
The modern facilities will use the latest technology and therapeutic design, which GMMH says should ensure an environment that is both conducive to recovery and pleasant to spend time in.
Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “This announcement is great news. It ensures patients are cared for in the best possible environment and it will no doubt be welcomed by staff and patients.
“Ensuring that everyone gets the mental health support they need is a priority for me and this funding will give us first class mental health facilities that patients in our city-region deserve.”