New £46m Bexhill mental health hospital announced

Existing services will be moved from the Eastbourne District General Hospital

A £46 million specialist mental health hospital will be built on the Sussex coast, the NHS has announced.

The 54 bed inpatient hospital is expected to be ready at a site in Bexhill, East Sussex, in March 2024.

Existing inpatient mental health services will then be moved from Eastbourne District General Hospital.

The plan was approved by the East Sussex Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee earlier.

Hundreds of people took part in a 12 week public consultation on the plans between June and September, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) said.

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The plans were drawn up by the NHS East Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and SPFT in June.

Sam Allen, SPFT chief executive, said: "The proposals have been almost universally supported by those who took part in the consultation and, given this, we are confident that this is the best way forward for the people of East Sussex."

The new hospital will be built on a site on Mount View Street in Bexhill

The trust said it had a "vision to create campus-style facilities on a single site to address mental health inpatient needs across East Sussex".

Dr David Warden, clinical chair of the East Sussex CCG governing body, said the plans would remove outdated dormitory accommodation at the Eastbourne District General Hospital.

He added: "This means that people with serious mental health problems will receive high-quality care in modern and safe accommodation which preserves their privacy and dignity and provides the best therapeutic environment."

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