£10 million autism unit to ‘transform’ patient care

Paul Yeomans, a director at Medical Architecture, discusses the imagination, thought, and highly effective collaboration that went into the design of a new adult autism inpatient unit at Morpeth’s Northgate Hospital, reportedly the UK’s first building specifically created for this service-user group.

Mitford is an adult autism inpatient unit located on the Northgate Hospital site in Morpeth, designed and built for Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust. Opened in December 2016, it provides 24-hour inpatient support and treatment for up to 15 adults with severely complex autistic spectrum disorders. Designed by Medical Architecture and built by Kier under ProCure21+, it is the first building in the UK specifically created for this service-user group, and is a pioneering project, requiring client-driven design standards. The building includes residential accommodation for up to 15 adults, in single and shared flats within the four ‘fingers’ of accommodation. There are eight single-person flats for the most complex and challenging service-users. The remainder of the accommodation is divided into two 2-person flats and one 3-person flat, for the service-users who are more able to socialise and are being prepared to leave the unit. The typical care pathway for these patients involves a stay of 18 months to two years, during which individual stimuli and appropriate therapies are identified, before they return to the community. 

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