The refurbishment of six adult wards at Royal Cornhill Hospital in Aberdeen has finally been completed.
It began in 2018 and was due to be finished in mid-2020, but NHS Grampian says the pandemic and technical issues delayed the works.
The £9million investment involved the upgrading of adult mental health wards Huntly, Fraser, Dunnottar, and Fyvie, and older adult mental health wards Davan and Muick.
Now staff and patients can move into the last completed wards, Davan and Muick, which deal with dementia and similar conditions.
Why were the Royal Cornhill Hospital works needed?
Royal Cornhill Hospital is the main psychiatric hospital in Grampian and was founded in 1800.
But due to its age, there were several problems with the care it provided patients.
In 2017, the Health & Safety Executive issued NHS Grampian with an improvement notice at the site.
The watchdog found NHS Grampian had failed to do enough to cut the risk of patients at Royal Cornhill Hospital self-harming.
The refurbishment of the six wards was completed to help address these concerns.
NHS Grampian now says the finished wards “far exceed” their recommendations.
This includes the installation of safer specialist ligature-reduction and anti-barricade mental health fittings and fixtures.
There have also been improvements in the lines of sight for staff accessibility and observation.
Works have been a ‘massive upheaval’
While the work was taking place, patients had to be moved around the building to allow for their care to continue.
NHS Grampian said a “key lesson” they learned during the project was the impact of construction work on patients receiving treatment nearby.
Kerry Ross business manager for mental health and learning disability inpatient services at NHS Grampian said: “I am delighted this work is now finished, providing the best possible environment for people to be cared for in, and for our teams to work in.
“I want to pay tribute to everyone working at Royal Cornhill, as well as to patients and their families.
“Works like this always mean upheaval and the delays have been difficult for all of us to deal with. However, the finished facilities are worth the wait, and I know they make a real difference.”
Senior charge nurse praises ‘perfect’ space
Kerrie Bellingham, a senior charge nurse in the Muick ward, said: “This is the perfect space to provide our older adults with the little extras they need at their time of life. Staff can’t wait to get everyone settled in and fill it with the home comforts that make it a lovely welcoming ward.”
Jackie Kynoch, a senior charge nurse in the Davan ward, said: “Having access to a garden has been massively beneficial to our patients and just having that access has helped improve the mental state of some of them.
“There are also several areas that patients can take themselves off to if they want peace and quiet to read. The feedback from the patients has been very positive, as with the staff. Everyone is delighted all round.”
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