Trust agrees £10m deal forpsychiatric hospital upgrade

Mark Branagan

PATIENTS with mental health problems in the Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale areas will benefit from an upgrade of a psychiatric hospital under a 10m deal announced yesterday with a Leeds-based developer.

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust have appointed the construction company, Kier Northern, to modernise Cross Lane Hospital in Scarborough.

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The site has long been the hub for mental health services in the area, providing adult and older people’s services to the community in Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale.

The trust plans to build a specialist care assessment and treatment unit for older people to replace the outdated buildings on the site. It will allow staff to provide tailor-made care for older people with different needs, such as Alzheimer’s or depression.

The purpose-built unit will provide 20 beds for older patients along with four spaces for shorter stays.

The project includes the renovation and extension of the Ayckbourn inpatient unit for adults of working age. Due to be finished by 2012, it will also provide a larger, improved environment for sufferers, families and carers.

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The service director for the trust, David Brown, said: “Many people have worked very hard to reach this point and we are pleased to be working with Kier Northern on this project.”

The assistant director of vulnerable people at NHS North Yorkshire and York, Melanie Bradbury, added: “The Cross Lane Hospital project is a really positive outcome for people living with a mental health condition in Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale.

“It is a fantastic opportunity which will allow people with mental illness to receive the best quality health care in their local area.