New multi-million pound Rivers Centre at Hellesdon Hospital: Progress update
A multi-million pound project to create state-of-the-art facilities to support mental health patients in Norfolk and Suffolk is nearing completion.
Service users, carers and staff have all been involved with the development of the new building to improve facilities for inpatient care at Hellesdon Hospital.
The Rivers Centre will provide modern, purpose-built environments for people who need specialist inpatient mental healthcare, improving patient and carer experience.
Construction of the new Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) mental health facility near Norwich is progressing at pace and is expected to welcome service users and staff at the end of January 2025.
The £55m investment is the single largest capital investment ever to improve facilities at the Trust which will modernise inpatient mental health care and benefit service users, their families and carers, and staff.
The new Rivers Centre wards will allow the Trust to provide modern, purpose-built environments and therapeutic space as well as additional capacity, providing an extra 15 beds for the Trust.
This will help to reduce the use of out of area and independent sector placements for people living locally who need inpatient mental health care, treatment, and support.
This investment will play a significant role in enhancing care for local people recognising wherever possible people needing inpatient care should receive care in a facility as close to home as possible.
The project consists of three new ward buildings, a purpose-built gym and a hub, which has been carefully designed to promote a feeling of community. This central area will house a main reception and café and will be the ‘heart’ of the development.
Five wards will be single gender accommodation to improve safety, dignity and privacy of those being cared for by the Trust who are most unwell, in line with government guidance.
The aim is for the site to be as sustainable as possible with electricity supplied from solar panels and heating via air source heat pumps.
The new facility will make full use of the natural environment with the aim of providing a haven where both patients and staff can relax away from clinical areas. It is hoped that this will have a positive impact on everyone’s wellbeing, while also playing an important role in service users’ recovery.
An innovative project to create original artwork for the centre is also progressing at pace, with service users, local people and renowned artists all working together on the installations.
Turner prize-nominated Mark Titchner’s work is one of many pieces featured in the new facility. His mural has been installed on the external gym wall near the new entrance to the Hellesdon wards.
The initiative is taking place in partnership with Hospital Rooms, whose mission is to bring world-class art and creative programming to mental health hospitals. The project is Hospital Rooms’ largest to date.
For more information, printed versions of this information or details of how to get involved in this project, please email: hellesdonnewwards@nsft.nhs.uk.