Male mental health facility opens in city

Kingfisher House is the first facility of its kind in Derbyshire

A psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) designed to support men experiencing acute mental health crises has opened in Derby.

Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said Kingfisher House - a 14-bed facility located on the Kingsway Hospital site - is the first of its kind in the county.

The facility is part of a £150m investment by the NHS designed to improve privacy, dignity and safety for patients.

Mark Powell, the trust's chief executive, said the opening of the unit on Tuesday was a vital step towards ending inappropriate out of area placements.

Kingfisher House is part of the trust's £150m Making Room for Dignity programme.

This is designed to replace outdated facilities and bring the area's six main mental health hubs up to national standards.

Care closer to home

According to the trust, prior to the opening of Kingfisher House, those who needed the level of support offered by a PICU had to travel outside of Derbyshire to access an appropriate bed.

Mr Powell said: "Until now, Derbyshire was one of the only regions in England without a local psychiatric intensive care unit.

"This meant that men in acute mental health crisis requiring intensive care had to be placed in facilities outside the county – often far from their families and support networks.

"This not only disrupted continuity of care but also added emotional and logistical strain on service users and their loved ones. Kingfisher House directly addresses this gap, enabling people to receive the right care, closer to home."

Alongside Kingfisher House, the programme's other two new builds are the Carsington Unit, 54-bed unit at Kingsway Hospital and the Derwent Unit, a 54-bed unit at the Chesterfield Royal Hospital site, which both opened earlier this year.

Other parts of the project involve Bluebell Ward at Walton Hospital in Chesterfield for older adults with acute mental health needs, which opened on 7 January 2025, the Radbourne Unit, at the Royal Derby Hospital and Audrey House, an enhanced care unit for female patients at Kingsway in Derby.