Challenge

Ardenleigh secure mental heath unit in Erdington, run by Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, moved into a new, state-of-the-art building housing up to 18 young adults suffering from complex mental health problems.

As inpatients, they receive assessment and treatment of mental health issues – such as depression, bi-polar disorder, psychosis and schizophrenia – and many arrive with or acquire Autistic Spectrum diagnoses as well.

Ardenleigh houses some of the country's most mentally disturbed teenagers, who have been detained under the Mental Health Act and have usually committed a criminal offenceOriginally opened in 2003, it was due for upgrading.

Alongside the accommodation is a school, which has been awarded Certificate of Quality of Autism Provision. It is run by James Brindley School, which provides education at five hospitals across Birmingham, including Ardenleigh and the Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Solution

Security was paramount given the nature of the young people on site who might pose a significant risk to themselves or to others. High-security perimeter fencing expert Zaun was appointed to design and install the fencing solutions at a cost of £100,000.

Zaun supplied almost 200m of its Hi-Sec® fencing in varying heights, reflecting three different categories of security rating.

Internal fencing, and that surrounding a ball court and enclosing outdoor stairways, was just 2.4 or 3m high. Perimeter fences ran to 5.2m in height and were buried in a concrete sill for added security.

Zaun also installed aluminium sheeting on some of the boundary fencing to provide privacy to the inpatients and to prevent them from being distracted by events beyond the hospital.

Outcome

The redevelopment, led by main contractor E Manton, upgraded the decade-old unit on its existing site, providing 18 ensuite bedrooms, lounges and dining rooms in three wards all separated by a central hub and staff rooms for ease of observation of wings. The wards are called Atlantic, Pacific and Adriatic to reflect a calming ocean theme.

One of only six adolescent forensic psychiatry in-patient units in England, it reopened its wards with glowing praise for the project team who performed the £3.5m redevelopment.

At the re-opening, Simon Parkes, Capital Developments Manager for the Trust, said: "I want to thank the project team for all their efforts, not only over recent weeks, but for the duration of this project from day one. Numerous people, clinical and non-clinical, have commented upon the building regarding the high standard of finish and attention to detail."

"The young people who move in today, and in the future, will receive the best quality care in an environment second to none, which is the most important outcome of all our efforts."