New mental health facility set to open, providing additional beds for local patients
Tilbury Douglas has successfully completed the design and construction of the £20m Red Kite View mental health facility in Armley, Leeds, for Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
The facility is an exemplar new mental health inpatient unit for young people aged between 13-18, offering expert therapy and treatment to some of the most-vulnerable young people in the Yorkshire 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 ‘Red Kite View’, as nature is strongly associated with mental wellbeing and rehabilitation.
The 22-bed unit replaces the eight-bed facility at Little Woodhouse Hall in Leeds, increasing the regional bed capacity by 14.
Providing care locally
This is part of a drive to eliminate out-of-area placements for young people who need an inpatient admission, but 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.
This team is three times the size of the previous one at Little Woodhouse Hall and will be able to offer a wider range of therapies and support.
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 Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation 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.
A genuine partnership
“This is our first project with Tilbury Douglas, but 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 at Tilbury Douglas, added: “We are extremely proud to be associated with Red Kite View.
“In partnership we have successfully delivered a highly-sustainable building incorporating air source heat pumps and photovoltaics to reduce carbon.
“We also provided flexibility and innovations along the journey to counter the challenges of COVID-19 and Brexit.”