North View, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH)’s new mental health unit currently under construction in North Manchester, will be England’s first all-electric mental health unit when it opens in 2024, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust says.
GMMH is investing £105.9 million in modern facilities with the construction of the new adult mental health inpatient unit to replace Park House, the current mental health unit on the North Manchester General Hospital site. Work started in August 2022, and it is anticipated the new unit will be built and operational by 2024. Once completed, the upgrade will see improvements to patient experience, with spacious single bedrooms, each with a private en-suite shower room, indoor activity areas, meeting rooms for family visiting, multiple gardens, spaces for therapeutic artwork, and a café. It will also house a purpose-built Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, eight adult acute wards, and a treatment suite.
The building has been specifically designed to minimise its environmental impact, ‘through renewable energy sources, innovative technology, and sustainable materials’, to optimise energy efficiency. It will include the following:
- Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels will be incorporated across the building, and energy use will be monitored and controlled via ‘intelligent’ building-management systems.
- LED lighting will be installed throughout as standard.
- Hot water will be produced through a combination of solar thermal technology and air source heat pumps, ‘to supply efficient, temperature-controlled hot water throughout’.
- Heating will be from air source heat pumps, which will supply underfloor heating and radiant panels throughout.
- Ventilation and cooling – Ventilation will be provided through a combination of natural ventilation wherever possible, and chilled water from reverse cycle air source heat pumps, which will be sent to air-conditioning systems to maintain a comfortable temperature. This has been developed through virtual modelling to maximise the efficiency.
- Insulation –The building will be well insulated, using sustainable materials to prevent heat loss and reduce energy use.
Marc Reed, Associate, director of Capital, Estates and Facilities at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), said: “We are incredibly proud to say that North View will be the country’s first all-electric mental health unit. Through renewable energy, innovative technology, and sustainable materials, we will be able to manage and optimise energy usage and significantly reduce our carbon footprint, while maintaining a comfortable, therapeutic environment for our patients, visitors, and staff.”
GMMH is working with its Principal Supply Chain Partner, Integrated Health Projects, to deliver the project.