Bexhill: Work starts on new mental health hospital

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said patients would have individual rooms with en suite bathrooms at the new hospital

A ground-breaking ceremony is taking place at the site of a new mental health hospital in Bexhill.

The 54-bed Combe Valley Hospital will open its doors in Mount View Street next year.

It will provide "modern, high quality care" for people who cannot be treated in the community, officials say.

The facilities replace dormitory accommodation at the Department of Psychiatry at Eastbourne District General Hospital.

Patients at Combe Valley will have individual bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. The hospital's name was chosen by staff and patients.

Dr Jane Padmore, chief executive of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT), said the development was the largest the trust had undertaken for many years.

She said: "Not only will Combe Valley provide a safe, therapeutic environment for the patients coming through our doors, but will also give our staff a fantastic place to work.

"We are confident that by next year we will have modern, high-quality facilities."

NHS Sussex chairperson Stephen Lightfoot said supporting people when they needed mental health care was one the organisation's "key priorities".

He added: "This new hospital is a key part of the mental health improvements health and care services are making in Sussex, as part of our integrated care strategy."

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