Work has been completed on a new mental health inpatient unit in Leeds.
Contractor, Tilbury Douglas, recently finished the development of the £20m Red Kite View in Armley for Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
The facility is an exemplar new psychiatric unit for young people aged between 13-18, offering therapy and treatment to some of the most-vulnerable young patients in the region.
It has been designed in partnership with clinicians and young people, who have contributed their ideas, hopes, and aspirations for care at the new unit.
They also helped to decide on the name as nature is strongly associated with mental wellbeing and rehabilitation.
The 22-bed hospital replaces the eight-bed unit at Little Woodhouse Hall, increasing the regional bed capacity by 14.
The work is part of a drive to eliminate out-of-area placements for young people who need an inpatient admission but who cannot access a bed locally.
Its two main wards will be staffed by a 100-strong expert team made up of nurses, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, teachers, and a wide range of allied health professionals and non-clinical support staff.
They will work closely with the young person’s community mental health team during their stay, ensuring they can return to their families and local communities as soon as possible.
Dawn Hanwell, deputy chief executive at the trust, said: “It has been my absolute privilege to lead this project and finally see it come to fruition after five years of hard work from a huge range of people.
“It has been a genuine partnership and an enjoyable and positive experience for all stakeholders, overcoming a number of challenges to deliver a world-class facility on a complex site.”
John Gittins, divisional director for the North of England at Tilbury Douglas, added: “In partnership we have successfully delivered a highly-sustainable building incorporating air source heat pumps and photovoltaics to reduce carbon emissions.
“We also provided flexibility and innovations along the journey to counter the challenges of COVID-19 and Brexit.”
