Our £16m investment in mental health services
We’re investing more than £16m in transforming mental health services in Wakefield.
The work will include a complete redevelopment of inpatient wards, Trinity and Priory and the psychiatric intensive care unit, Chantry, at the Fieldhead site in Wakefield.
The investment forms part of the Trust’s ongoing commitment to improve services for local residents. To date this has included a number of developments such as the newly refurbished New Street Health and Wellbeing Centre in Barnsley, Laura Mitchell Health and Wellbeing Centre in Calderdale which opened at the end of last year and the re-development of Baghill House in Pontefract which will be completed in Summer 2016.
The project will completely transform the current Fieldhead facilities and involves rebuilding on the existing site. Service users will benefit from purpose built state of the art therapeutic areas, en-suite bathrooms and vastly improved patient relaxation areas to help people on their journey to recovery. Other areas of the development will include modernised visitor areas, an improved reception facility and a better working environment for staff. The redevelopment is due for completion in 2018.
Steven Michael OBE, chief executive of the Trust said, “I’m delighted that work will soon begin on this significant redevelopment which is part of our future plans to continue improving services for people who need them the most.
“The new, modern therapy rooms will help us to provide creative activities for each person that we care for, helping their recovery.
“By rebuilding our facilities we will also be able to ensure our estate is meeting our targets for sustainability; protecting the environment and reducing our energy consumption. This is great news for the region, for people who use our services and for the NHS.”
The Trust is funding the work with its own capital finances and is not tied into any private company for maintenance of the unit once completed.
Cllr Pat Garbutt, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults and Health, said: “This investment into mental health services is fantastic news for the district. With one in four people experiencing mental health problems at some point in their life, the transformation of the facilities offered at the Fieldhead site will greatly improve the services the NHS and the Council can offer.
“Support for mental health services is one of our key priorities and this redevelopment will bring new and modern facilities to the residents of the district.”