Contractor checks in for new Bexhill hospital

Main contractor Kier has been appointed by the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to deliver a new £60M 54-bed acute inpatient mental health hospital in Bexhill-on-Sea as part of its Re-designing Inpatient Services in East Sussex (RIS:ES) Programme.

This is the first step in the RIS:ES Programme, which is aimed at providing all mental health inpatient services across East Sussex on a single site.

The 5,300m² facility will provide high-quality inpatient services for adults and will replace out-dated services currently provided in the Department of Psychiatry, at Eastbourne District General Hospital.

There will be three 18-bed wards, all with individual bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms, surrounded by therapeutic landscaped green space. The new building will also provide outpatient services as well as training facilities for medical and other related professions.

The building will be fully electric and highly insulated, with energy efficient systems being implemented to reduce energy usage and optimise environmental performance. The majority of the roof will include solar panels and a range of electric vehicle charging points will be installed for maintenance teams, staff and visitors.

RIS:ES Programme Director Paula Kirkland, said: “This is a major milestone for a programme which has been almost four years in the making. We are now looking forward to working closely with Kier as full construction of the new facilities begins in earnest.

“When complete, the building will provide the people of East Sussex and beyond with state-of-the-art inpatient services which will offer the highest quality therapeutic care for those with serious mental health conditions.”