NHS Lothian's inpatient Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are set to move to their new home at the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh this month.
The service is expected to join the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and the vast majority of Children’s outpatient services in the middle of the month, following their successful migration from the ‘old’ Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Sciennes to the new building last summer. Susan Goldsmith, NHS Lothian director of Finance and executive lead on the Re-provision Project provided an update at a recent meeting of the NHS Lothian’s Board). She said: “We are really excited to be moving CAMHS into its new, purpose-built home next month. It has been designed carefully with the input of patients and their families, and with their needs in mind. It will provide patients and staff alike with a safe, comfortable, and pleasant environment conducive to high quality treatment and care."
NHS Lothian says feedback from staff, patients, and families on the new facility – which has ‘come to life’ in recent months – has been ‘overwhelmingly positive’. Catering outlets, including a shop, are open for staff and visitors to the building, while the rooftop helipad has passed all test flights, and will come into operation once training has been completed.
The building is due to be handed over to NHS Lothian at the end of January, when a period of commissioning will begin to install equipment, train staff, and carry out final checks.