Parkview Clinic to undergo £4.6m transformation
A multi-million-pound renovation to improve mental health care for young people in the West Midlands will begin this month.
Our Trust's specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) inpatient care service will invest £4.6m improving our Parkview Clinic in Moseley, Birmingham, following a grant from NHS England.
The funding will reconfigure the Healthland and Ashfield units and allow them to offer a better experience by removing dormitory-style bedrooms and providing every young person with a single en-suite room, and brighter and more accessible lounge and therapeutic spaces.
The inpatient unit cares for children and young people under 18 and provides a specialist eating disorder unit, a general adolescence unit (Heathlands), and an acute adolescent unit (Ashfields). The investment will allow a transformation of the spaces in their wards, improving the experiences of patients.
Zaynab (ZeZe) Sohawon, Chairperson for Think4Brum, a participation group within our mental health services, initially proposed the idea to Trust Chief Executive, Sarah-Jane Marsh.
"When I was an inpatient at Parkview, I started doing work for Think4Brum, a group made up of service uses who use their experience of being a patient to help shape future care," said ZeZe.
"During a meeting with our Chief Executive, I raised the issue of the dormitories at Parkview, which weren't an ideal space for young people on their journey to recovery.
"My concerns were heard, and I was delighted to later find out that we had bid for and won funding for the rebuild. From my experience of being an inpatient, I know how much a difference having your own space makes to your wellbeing."
The contract for the programme of work has now been awarded and building works will commence this December.
Alexander Borġ, Executive Director of Mental Health Services, said: "This funding will help improve the experiences our young people will have by increasing the level of privacy and dignity available during their care.
"These improvement works will also create a better environment for our patients and staff, with more access to therapeutic spaces, improved lounges and activity spaces."
The works to Heathlands are scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2022.
"This whole project started with patient voice, with members of the Trust listening to the experiences of young people like myself," added ZeZe. "Since the project began, our young people have been involved in the renovation and the redesign. Our ideas are at the heart of the build."