A new psychiatric unit has opened its doors in Lincoln as part of a crisis services expansion for people with mental health problems. Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) has launched a new psychiatric clinical decisions unit (PCDU) at Lincoln County Hospital.
The new “less clinical” service, designed by T.A.D. Architects and their team, provides a safe space for assessment of patients’ needs.
From there, professionals will help decide the best treatment, whether this is returning home with intensive support, or being admitted to a specialist mental health ward.
John Dwane, a former service user who has been involved in the design and development of the new service, said: “When someone is in crisis they don’t always know where to turn to for help. Often having somewhere to go, where they can talk to mental health professionals and discuss their issues in a calm and relaxed environment can help identify the help they need and stop a situation escalating to the point when someone needs hospital treatment.”
Dr. John Brewin, Chief Executive and a practising consultant psychiatrist at Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust added: “We’ve been working closely with partners as part of the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership to look at how we can help patients receive care and treatment locally, without the need to travel outside of the county. We are really pleased to be able to provide such care in a less restrictive environment, with this fantastic new service.”
T.A.D. were procured through the NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) Construction Consultancy Framework and were able to provide a full multi-disciplinary team to the Trust, reducing procurement time and ensuring early delivery of the project.
The scheme refurbished vacated and redundant ward accommodation to provide new lounge areas for up to 6 patients, administrative bases and facilities or staff and patients who could be at the unit for up to 24 hours. A new access road, footpaths and safe external area were created to provide a distinct entrance to the unit separate from the remaining facilities on site.
David Rayworth, Director at T.A.D. added “We are delighted to be involved in this project to enable people to find the support they need in an environment that is conducive to providing that support. The project was a pleasure to work on with Managers, professionals and service user representatives expressing a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve and why from the outset, that enabled us to deliver a scheme from the beginning that could provide the right environment for their service”.
The new “less clinical” service, designed by T.A.D. Architects and their team, provides a safe space for assessment of patients’ needs.
From there, professionals will help decide the best treatment, whether this is returning home with intensive support, or being admitted to a specialist mental health ward.
John Dwane, a former service user who has been involved in the design and development of the new service, said: “When someone is in crisis they don’t always know where to turn to for help. Often having somewhere to go, where they can talk to mental health professionals and discuss their issues in a calm and relaxed environment can help identify the help they need and stop a situation escalating to the point when someone needs hospital treatment.”
Dr. John Brewin, Chief Executive and a practising consultant psychiatrist at Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust added: “We’ve been working closely with partners as part of the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership to look at how we can help patients receive care and treatment locally, without the need to travel outside of the county. We are really pleased to be able to provide such care in a less restrictive environment, with this fantastic new service.”
T.A.D. were procured through the NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) Construction Consultancy Framework and were able to provide a full multi-disciplinary team to the Trust, reducing procurement time and ensuring early delivery of the project.
The scheme refurbished vacated and redundant ward accommodation to provide new lounge areas for up to 6 patients, administrative bases and facilities or staff and patients who could be at the unit for up to 24 hours. A new access road, footpaths and safe external area were created to provide a distinct entrance to the unit separate from the remaining facilities on site.
David Rayworth, Director at T.A.D. added “We are delighted to be involved in this project to enable people to find the support they need in an environment that is conducive to providing that support. The project was a pleasure to work on with Managers, professionals and service user representatives expressing a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve and why from the outset, that enabled us to deliver a scheme from the beginning that could provide the right environment for their service”.