First of six new mental healthcare facilities to open

The new Bluebell ward includes a garden space for patients

The first of six new or refurbished mental healthcare facilities in Derbyshire is set to open within weeks.

Bluebell ward, at Walton Hospital in Chesterfield, has undergone a £2.8m refurbishment as part of Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s £150m Making Room for Dignity programme.

But although the revamped ward will open in September, the health trust has acknowledged there have been "challenges and delays" to other parts of the project.

The trust said issues with wet weather, cost inflation and energy prices had increased costs, "resulting in some amendments to schedules".

All six units were intended to open by the end of 2024, but are now not expected to be completed until April 2026.

The trust said that the war in Ukraine was one factor, as some of the raw materials for the works, such as steel, were due to come from Russia.

Carsington Unit and Kingfisher House, currently being built at Kingsway Hospital in Derby

Making Room for Dignity projects in Chesterfield and Derby are comprised of three new builds and three refurbishment projects.

The trust said the programme is intended to end dormitory-style accommodation for inpatient care and will provide better access to psychiatric intensive care units (PICU).

The first facility in the programme to open, Bluebell ward, will provide mental healthcare for 12 older adults.

The ward's rooms have en-suite bathrooms, and patients can use calm breakout spaces so they feel more like they are "checking into a hotel", the trust said.

An occupational therapy garden has also been created at Bluebell ward, with help from Chesterfield College students.

The trust said that Derbyshire has a high number of mental health wards using dormitory-style accommodation, which "negatively affect mental health, reducing privacy and safety".

Derbyshire is also the only region in England currently without a local PICU, and patients needing this type of care are having to be placed "out of area", often far from their homes.

The programme's three new builds are the Derwent unit, at Chesterfield Royal Hospital as well as the Carsington unit and Kingfisher House, both located at Kingsway Hospital in Derby.

The two other refurbishment projects are the Radbourne unit, at the Royal Derby Hospital and Audrey House, also at Kingsway, Derby.

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