08 September 2020
Work has started on a £7.3m project to build a dedicated acute mental health facility within Clinique Pinel at St Saviour’s Hospital, which was delayed due to COVID-19.
The project includes extensions and internal remodelling to Clinique Pinel to create 26 en-suite bedrooms, a place of safety on the ground floor, plus eight ‘overspill’ bedrooms and a tribunal suite / training facility on the first floor.
When completed, the new Clinique Pinel development will replace Orchard House which has recently undergone extensive refurbishment; the upgraded facilities will improve the care environment for users until the new facility is complete.
To facilitate the works at Clinique Pinel, the existing dementia assessment ward currently located within Clinique Pinel (Beech Ward) will be relocated across the road to Rosewood House. The work to Rosewood House includes several small extensions and some internal alteration works to create a new eight bed dementia assessment ward.
Assistant Health Minister, Senator 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.
"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 for islanders."
Robert Sainsbury, Group Managing Director, Health and Community Services, said: "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."
Both projects will run concurrently and are expected to be completed by early 2022.
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