Construction work on a new mental health facility for children and young people in London reached a significant milestone recently with a topping-out ceremony.

The event marked the completion of the frame of the £65m Pears Maudsley Centre, which is due to open in Denmark Hill next year.

The centre is the result of a ‘bench to bedside’ partnership between South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College London, and the Maudsley Charity, and aims to transform child and adolescent mental health care through a unique collaboration between world-leading academics and clinicians, which will significantly speed up the time taken to bring research breakthroughs into clinical treatment.

The scheme has been partly funded by an ambitious fundraising campaign to address the urgent demands for mental health provision for children and young people.

And it is being built by Integrated Health Projects, an alliance between VINCI Construction UK and Sir Robert McAlpine.

A blast from the past

The topping-out event included ceremonial pouring of concrete to complete the roof of the eight-storey building and the placement of an evergreen bough – a tradition which dates back to Roman times when tree boughs were used to protect buildings from evil spirits and bring in blessings from the tree spirits.

Sir Norman Lamb, chairman of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It is fantastic to see this unique building taking shape, giving an insight into the life-changing facility it is going to become.

“The centre will support our local south London community, which has some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country, together with specialist national children’s mental health services that are available to everyone in England.”

Trust chief executive, David Bradley, added: “After so many years of hard work, it is incredibly exciting to see the Pears Maudsley Centre coming to fruition.

It is fantastic to see this unique building taking shape, giving an insight into the life-changing facility it is going to become

“This project is rooted in partnership and collaboration and the centre will enable us to develop ground-breaking treatments that will transform the lives of children and young people at a time when improving their mental health has never been more important.”

The centre will be home to clinicians and academics in the field of children and young people’s mental health from the trust and from King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), as well as the Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital School, and young inpatients.

It will provide treatment to young people with a range of conditions, from eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder, to anxiety, ADHD, autism, and trauma.

Changing the landscape

President and principal of King’s College London, Professor Shitij Kapur, said: “There is no other centre like this in the world.

“Bringing together King’s College London’s world-class researchers in mental health with clinical expertise will enable us to find solutions together and change the landscape for children’s mental health.

“This will benefit our communities, locally and nationally, and lead to sharing best practice across the world, influencing global policy, and mental health outcomes.

“It is this spirit of collaboration, innovation, and creativity that will drive the culture at the Pears Maudsley Centre.”

Bringing together King’s College London’s world-class researchers in mental health with clinical expertise will enable us to find solutions together and change the landscape for children’s mental health

The Maudsley Charity, which backs better mental health, has contributed £10m to the project and also generated significant support from charitable foundations including Pears Foundation, the Rayne Foundation, and individual donors.

Young patients and their families, as well as researchers and clinicians, have been involved in designing the facility, which features connections with nature as a key aspect through landscaped outdoor terraces and extensive planting on each of the building’s eight floors.

Stephen Bannon, project director at Integrated Health Projects, said: “Exemplar collaboration, innovation, and expertise have been at the heart of this project and we look forward to delivering a world-leading facility for the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.”