New mental health hospital 'will make a difference'

Dr Vincent Kirchner says the new site will provide a "therapeutic environment"

London's newest hospital for mental health patients "will help people get better faster", a chief medical officer said.

Highgate East, next to the Whittington Hospital in Archway, north London, is due to open next month.

The £80m project has taken four years to build and was paid for by selling off parts of the old St Pancras Hospital.

Service users and staff have been involved in the design of the new building, which will have 78 beds for inpatients.

Service user Nicky Baker helped in the design of the hospital

Nicky Baker, one of the service users involved in the design process, said seeing the building "brought a tear" to her eye.

"I could actually cry," she said.

"It is so lovely - I'm going round saying 'Oh you put this in, you put that in' - they've actually listened to us which to me is a great feeling."

The new building is just a few miles away from the previous site at the old St Pancras Hospital, a former Victorian workhouse.

North London Mental Health Partnership said there had been a design emphasis on space and light, but also on safety.

Steps have been taken to ensure there are no ligature points in the building and TVs in each room are securely mounted behind glass.

Each ward has access to an outdoor terrace, every room has its own ensuite bathroom and there is a sports hall in the basement.

Every ward has access to an outside terrace

Dr Vincent Kirchner, chief medical officer for the partnership, said the new hospital "will make a difference".

"Having a therapeutic environment will mean people recover better, just be more comfortable, " he said.

"Having bright spaces, good circulation, being able to control the temperature of your bedroom will definitely help people get better, faster."

Fours years on, the project is almost finished