Plans for a new mental health inpatient unit at a Welsh hospital have gone on display, marking a new era for psychiatric care.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has continued work with project partners, BAM Construction and Gleeds, on the development of the new unit.
And last week plans for the facility in a carpark at the rear of Glan Clwyd Hospital went on display.
The new unit will provide acute inpatient mental health care to adults from Conwy, Denbighshire, and parts of Flintshire, and will replace the care currently provided at the hospital’s Ablett Unit, which is no longer fit for purpose.
A dementia assessment centre will also be built on the site, incorporating the latest evidence on dementia supportive environments and replacing the service currently provided at the Bryn Hesketh Unit in Colwyn Bay.
In addition, the development will feature a dedicated crisis assessment area and a new multi-storey car park.
Built to the highest energy-efficiency standards, the development will help support the Welsh Government’s response to the climate emergency, improving parking provision and introducing electric vehicle charging points.
The unit is earmarked for completion by 2024 and will cost an estimated £64m.
Jill Timmins, programme director for the Ablett Unit Redevelopment, said: “This is a new chapter for mental health care in central North Wales.
“Our ambition is to deliver a mental health unit which is fit for the future and provides local people with the very-best environment to support their ongoing recovery.”