A new £14 million ‘state-of-the-art’ CAMHS facility in Chester has been completed. Ancora House, located on the Countess of Chester Health Park, will provide Tier 4 inpatient and day patient care for children and young people with severe and/or complex mental health conditions ‘beyond the remit of community services’.
Ancora House was commissioned by Villicare, the joint venture company formed between Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP) and healthcare estate specialist, Ryhurst. The latter said: “The two-storey building is the shared vision of CWP and the young people in their care. Villicare implemented an extensive consultation process from the project’s outset to ensure that the facility is safe, personcentred, and effective. Those accessing the services have been instrumental in the project, participating in workshops designing rooms, decorating a ‘mock bedroom’, and choosing the name, ‘Ancora House’.” ‘Ancora’ is a Latin noun meaning ‘hope, refuge, and support’.
Designed by Gilling Dod Architects, and built by Eric Wright Construction, the unit provides 26 beds across two wards, plus a fourbed specialist area. The wards are sub-divided into two smaller areas with day spaces, a central nurses’ station. and a seclusion suite. Ancora House also incorporates an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ education centre, visiting areas and communal spaces – such as Activities of Daily Living amenities, an exercise room, and multi-faith area. There are also secure gardens enclosed by the building, and horticultural and landscaped areas.