Green Light for £30m Development of Langdon Hospital

Posted on 2nd June, 2011

3 June 2011  Green light for £30m development of Langdon Hospital  Devon Partnership NHS Trust has announced that approval has now been received to proceed with the £30m re-development of Langdon Hospital in Dawlish.  Langdon Hospital is home to the Trust’s forensic service, which provides care and treatment for people with a wide variety of mental health and learning disability needs, most of whom have come into contact with the criminal justice system.  The hospital provides services for people from Devon and Cornwall, as well as those from further afield.  Manager of the forensic service, Jim Masters, explains:  “We pride ourselves on the work we do and the standard of care that we deliver at Langdon, but we are constrained by many aspects of the poor physical environment in which we work.  The bulk of the site was built in the 1930s and much of it has been in need of renovation or replacement for some time.   “For the past few years, we have had agreement in principle to proceed with the development but have struggled to identify the most appropriate and cost-effective source of finance.  We have, however, now received approval from NHS South West and preparatory work on the site began last month.  Everyone is delighted and, when the work is completed, we will have a far more modern, safe and therapeutic environment for the people using our service and our staff.  In addition, we will be able to offer further employment opportunities at the site for local people, and also expect to generate additional income by attracting a greater number of placements from outside the area.”   The plans for the site include extension or refurbishment of the existing buildings and the replacement of the Butler Clinic (the regional medium-level secure unit) with the construction of a new, state-of-the-art facility in which 60 beds will be divided into four ward areas.  The focus of the design is on unobtrusive security and flexibility, as the service needs to be able to look after people requiring varying levels of secure accommodation, and provide different types of care, as demand dictates. There will be shared areas for administration and activities such as occupational, physical and creative therapies.  The £30m development plans build on a number of other improvement projects that have recently taken place at Langdon Hospital.  The site’s Chichester House has undergone major development and is now designated as a low-level secure unit. The facility has been extended to accommodate 15 beds and now has a secure entrance area, visitors’ room, fenced garden and a multi-use games area for sports including football, tennis and basketball.  Similar work has been undertaken at Avon House, also a low-level secure unit, to extend the useful life of the building and improve the range of facilities available to users of this service, who typically remain at Langdon Hospital for longer periods of time.  Preparatory work on the site is already under way and it is hoped that construction will start in the autumn, with completion of the development anticipated in spring 2013.  Ends S045   For further information contact Peter Leggatt on 01392 208693. 

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