Work begins on £7.3m mental health facility

Tuesday 08 September 2020

Work has finally begun on a new acute mental health facility in St. Saviour.

The £7.3 million Clinique Pinel development will act as a replacement for Orchard House, creating 26 new en-suite bedrooms, “a place of safety on the ground floor”, as well as eight ‘overspill bedrooms’ and a tribunal suite/training facility on the first floor.

The already existing dementia assessment ‘Beech Ward’ in Clinique Pinel will be relocated to Rosewood House, with several small extensions and some internal alteration works in Rosewood to create an eight bed dementia ward. 

Pictured: The new facility will replace Orchard House.

The announcement follows Infrastructure Minister, Deputy Kevin Lewis, disclosing in this morning’s States Assembly meeting that a 72-week contract had been signed on the project, and that, if all goes to schedule, the plan is to have the work completed by January 2022. 

It comes over a year after a Scrutiny report was released detailing major issues with the quality of mental health facilities, with the report going as far as to describe some residential areas like “prison cells.”

Assistant Health Minister, Steve Pallett, said: “This is a welcome addition to the mental health facilities on the Island and is part of our continued investment and reform in this area. 

"Once built, Clinique Pinel will be a modern facility providing high standards of treatment and evidence-based interventions for people experiencing an acute phase of illness. It will allow practical working with individuals and their families towards recovery in a specially designed therapeutic environment."

Pictured: Assistant Health Minister, Steve Pallett, said that Clinique Pinel will provide "high standards of treatment."

He continued: “Mental health is one of the key priorities set out in the Government Plan. It takes on even greater importance now with the impact covid-19 has had on individuals, families and the wider community.

"Throughout my time in office, I have continued to champion mental health issues so that we achieve tangible transformation in this area.

"The redevelopment of Clinique Pinel is a key element of our ongoing plans for improving mental health services or islanders.”

Pictured: St. Saviour's Hospital, where the new Clinique Pinel development is taking place.

Rob Sainsbury, the Health Department's Group Managing Director, added: “Patient safety is our paramount concern and these works have been planned with the utmost care and consideration for our patients and residents.

“Workmen are on site this week for a ‘soft start’, which will involve putting up site huts, demarcation boards and so on. More intensive work is due to start from 21 September. This will allow a number of patients and residents to be transferred to other buildings in a timely and composed manner and they, together with the relatives, have been consulted on the move.

“We look forward to the redevelopment of Clinique Pinel and the benefits it will bring to mental health care on the island.”