£13.6m men’s mental health unit opens in Rochdale

John Schofield with Lord Bradley

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust has officially opened a new £13.6 million mental health unit at the Birch Hill Hospital site in Rochdale.

Named ‘Prospect Place,’ it is a low secure unit for men that have severe and enduring mental health problems, such as Schizophrenia. Treatment at the centre will focus on helping patients to manage their mental illness so that they can live comfortably in their local communities and have the confidence to build social networks.

Health officials and local dignitaries attended an event at Prospect Place to see it officially opened by the Rt Hon. Lord Bradley. Lord Bradley authored The Bradley Report, which is an independent review of people with mental health problems or learning disabilities in the criminal justice system.

Treatment at the centre is divided into three key stages; engagement and assessment, recovery intervention and finally social inclusion. This helps patients to progress through a structured programme of treatment so that they can return to lesser secure accommodation or home as soon as possible.

John Archer, Chief Executive of Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “There is a large demand for low secure mental health facilities in the North West and our £13.6 million investment to develop Prospect Place will provide a valuable service to vulnerable men living in within our area.

“The building is extremely impressive and has been designed with mental health service users in mind so that we can provide the best possible care in a purpose-built unit, within the local community.”

The state-of-the-art development includes 45 beds and has been designed to meet the need of the patients who will stay there. It is modern and spacious with all patients having a separate room with en-suite facility, as well as access to sports and recreational facilities within 1095m² of outdoor space.

The development also meets national green guidelines to reduce carbon emissions, as part of Pennine Care’s commitment to being environmentally friendly.

Construction company Interserve led on the build of the unit and architects Aedas led on the design.