Fantastic New Mental Health Facility Opens its Doors in Blackpool

As of today, patients are beginning to join the new facility, ‘The Harbour’ in Blackpool. The opening of this state of the art facility signals the beginning of a new era in treatment for mental health patients in Lancashire and around the country.

Health bosses from Lancashire Care NHS have said that there is dire need for better facilities for the treatment of a range of cases. This includes treating elderly patients with dementia through to mothers with post natal depression.

The project director of the build said how clear it was that the previous accommodation was ‘holding back the delivery of good, modern mental health care.’ The vision of the build was to create a fit-for-purpose facility which allows the best care to be provided.

There is now a 154 bed unit which comprises a psychiatric intensive care unit, dementia unit and functional acute unit as well as a gym, sports hall, reflective space, tribunal suites and all in a lovely surrounding over the Flyde countryside.

All of the rooms at the new facility are single occupancy with an en-suite. The communal spaces lead onto outdoor areas and meals will be cooked on site as much as possible. One member of staff says there is a more a ‘hotel’ feel that hospital. Activity will be encouraged and rehabilitation.

The move across sites to get to this one, will mean a lot of change for many people, staff and patients alike but with one universal understanding that what is right for the patient comes first.

Ms Gracie, a staff nurse moving from Chorley to the Blackpool unit says; ‘We are looking forward to the impact it will have on patient care, it’s so much more dignified.’

As much as the unit is about caring for patients the outstanding facilities that will be available at this unit could go some way to help break down barriers to mental health care and reducing some of the stigma associated.