Published on: 21 March 2024
Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been shortlisted for a Health Estates and Facilities Management Association (HEFMA) award for the Trust’s Making Room for Dignity project.
The project, which includes the building of new inpatient facilities in Chesterfield and Derby, has been shortlisted in the 'project of the year category'.
The HEFMA awards recognise the hard work, excellence and achievements of NHS estates and facilities management staff across the UK.
In 2020 the Government pledged more than £400m to eradicate dormitory accommodation from mental health facilities across the country to improve the safety, privacy and dignity of people experiencing mental illness. £80m of this was allocated to mental healthcare in Derbyshire and forms the backbone of a £150m development of new and refurbished facilities, which Derbyshire Healthcare have named the 'Making Room for Dignity' programme. The programme consists of six projects:
- The Derwent Unit, a new 54-bed adult acute unit currently under construction at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. This will be a flexible space to support male, female and non-binary patients.
- The Carsington Unit, a new 54-bed adult acute unit for male patients, currently under construction at Kingsway, Derby.
- Kingfisher House, a 14-bed Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Kingsway, Derby. This is a new service for male patients, which will remove the need for people to travel outside of Derbyshire to receive this support.
- The refurbishment of two 17-bed mental health acute wards for female patients at the Radbourne Unit at Derby Royal Hospital. The services currently offered to male patients at the Radbourne Unit will transfer to the Carsington Unit on opening in November 2024.
- Bluebell Ward, a fully refurbished specialist inpatient unit for older adults at Walton Hospital, Chesterfield (relocating older adult services from the current Hartington Unit).
- The refurbishment of Audrey House at Kingsway, Derby, to provide a new eight-bed enhanced care unit for women.
The developments will enhance the services currently available, while providing a better-quality patient experience, improving privacy and dignity, and bringing our inpatient provision in line with national requirements. The new healthcare facilities will be purpose-built and equipped with modern facilities and additional resources including an indoor fitness room, online library resource room, arts room and access to safe outdoor space.
The Derwent Unit, Carsington Unit, Audrey House and Bluebell Ward will be open by the end of the 2024, with Kingfisher House due to open in spring 2025, followed by the wards at the Radbourne Unit in 2025/25.
Andy Harrison, Progromme Director of Making Room for Dignity at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, congratulated the team for their efforts and being shortlisted.
He said: “The Making Room for Dignity team continue to do a fantastic job at delivering an excellent programme. The team have worked hard to listen to patients and colleagues as they are at the heart of this development work.
“We all look forward to seeing how the developments take further shape in the coming months to bring us one step closer to providing better outcomes for our patients and clinical teams.”
A full list of shortlisted nominees for the HEFMA awards 2024 can be found on the HEFMA website. Winners are expected to be announced during a ceremony at the Telford International Centre in Telford on Thursday 9 May 2024.
