A ceremony has taken place to mark the latest key milestone in the construction of Hartley Hospital in Southport.
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Chairman Beatrice Fraenkel led a topping out event with builders Farran Heron Joint Venture (FHJV) and other construction partners at the £20 million mental health facility, off Scarisbrick New Road.
The Chairman put the finishing touches to doors on a courtyard garden area signifying the structure is watertight and the final fit-out is progressing towards the building’s completion.
She said: “There’s nothing better for any of us in the Trust than seeing a building that is on its way to being completed. It’s a privilege to be at this topping out, seeing how all aspects of its interior and exterior design have involved service users and staff.
“Just walking through what is still a construction site you can see the relationship between the space and the light is just what we wanted. It’s taken a lot of work to get it right, including architecture that’s not institutional looking and that fits in well with the local community, which is just how we want it to be.”
FHJV Construction Manager Neil Kelly said the construction was progressing well with phase one due for completion in October 2019, when the building will be handed over to Mersey Care. Phase two heralds the demolition of the old buildings of the existing Boothroyd Unit and creation of a new larger car park with landscaping, prior to the site becoming fully operational by March 2020.
Hartley Hospital will provide two 20-bed wards, one for adults the other for older inpatients, needing short-term mental health care and treatment, as well as an assessment suite. A range of community services and outpatient clinics will also be co-located there for the first time.
The new building will contain a café, family visiting room, multi-faith area, internal garden courtyards. All patient bedrooms will be single with ensuite bathrooms and there will be a therapy and activity areas and a gym.
The Hartley Hospital name was chosen after consultation – the name recognises the historic origins of its location on the former Southport General Infirmary site next to what used to be the Christiana Hartley Maternity Hospital. The late Christiana Hartley CBE, went on to become Southport’s first woman Mayor and was an advocate for better health services, education, women’s equality and champion for children and the poor.
More information about our ‘New generation of mental health hospitals’ elsewhere on our website
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