New secure autism unit being built at hospital

The £7 million project, commissioned by Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, includes the demolition of an existing building on the hospital site and the construction of a single-storey building.

This facility will provide eight ensuite bedrooms, one of which provides a seclusion suite.

Willmott Dixon and architect Design Buro are building the new unit.

Dan Doyle, operations director at Willmott Dixon, said: "Being a business with rich Birmingham heritage, it’s an honour to be playing a significant role in a local project that will enrich the community’s healthcare offering.

"The completion of the new building will enable Brooklands Hospital to provide a high-level service to its future patients in an environment that accommodates their specific needs, which is something we’re an expert in and are pleased to have been brought in to deliver."

With land prices and the cost of outward expansion the dearer option, redeveloping a disused area of the Brooklands Hospital site is seen as a strategic and cost-effective move. Future occupants will be well catered for with the secure unit taking into consideration that distance from society is sometimes essential for recovering from negative experiences.

The new building will provide a safe environment, with the bonus of optional social communal spaces that offer comfortable accommodation. It is particularly important for patients to have access to a safe communal space alongside self-contained areas to help with rehabilitation and avoiding prolonged periods of detrimental isolation. The balance and choice that is given to end users has been strategically planned.

Professor Ashok Roy OBE, consultant psychiatrist and associate medical director at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, said: "The new autism secure service fills the gap in service for a group of patients who have for a long time had poor access to services and have therefore languished in unsuitable surroundings such as prisons and distant hospitals."

Work is set to be completed by March 2023.