Patients across the North West will benefit from significant capital funding investment today that will improve health and care services across the region, supporting mental health services, people with learning disabilities, patients seeking urgent and emergency care, as well as many other important programmes of work.

The Department of Health and Social Care has today confirmed trusts, clinical commissioning groups and health and care partnerships across the country will receive capital funding worth £1.8bn for a variety of schemes to improve buildings and estates, redesign services and care pathways, and improve patient care across the country.

In total, 20 schemes have been approved across the country, with five of those schemes located in the North West, and all providing much needed, and significant investment in a variety of critical services.

The largest single award in the North West was £72.3m, awarded to Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) for the development of a new adult mental health inpatient unit to replace the existing adult mental health inpatient at Park House, North Manchester General Hospital.

Neil Thwaite, Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted with today’s announcement.

“This funding means we can build a modern, fit for purpose inpatient facility which will support our hard working staff to provide the best care for our patients.  Research shows that the environment impacts massively on mental health and the prospects of recovery.  We want to be able to give patients the best chance possible to get better.”

“No one wants to be in an inpatient mental health unit, but if they do, we want them to feel hope and optimism.  The new facility will hugely enhance the privacy and dignity for our patients, providing single rooms with en-suite bathrooms, more open space, improved access to outside gardens and places to meet with family and friends, to help their recovery journey.”

“We could not be happier for our staff, who work tirelessly in Park House.  The new facility will support their health and wellbeing too and provide an environment that supports the excellent work they do and enhance safety and observations.”

“This is excellent news for mental health services in Manchester and forms part of exciting regeneration plans being developed for the North Manchester hospital site.”

£30.6m has been allocated Stockport NHS Foundation Trust for the provision of a new Emergency Care Campus Development incorporating an Urgent Treatment Centre, GP assessment unit (GPAU) and Planned Investigation Unit.

Louise Robson, Chief Executive,  Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is very welcome news and a real cause for celebration, particularly for our emergency department staff, who provide such excellent care for patients day in and day out despite the rising demand on the service, and the current limitation of the building and the local health and care system.

“The £30.6m will enable us to transform not only the environment from which we provide emergency care to the people of Stockport and the surrounding area, but it will also give local people a choice about how their health needs are met.”

£16.3m has been allocated to Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, to provide an extensive reorganisation of the estate at Tameside Hospital providing a fit for purpose emergency / urgent care facility, whilst utilising space more efficiently and reducing the hospital foot print.

Karen James Chief Executive at Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS FT, which is responsible for Tameside Hospital said: “We serve a population of over 250,000 people and have what I believe is a visionary and ambitious plan to bring together urgent care services under one roof. This money will allow an extensive reorganisation of our site to allow not only a state of the art emergency and urgent care facility but also an improved approach to helping people when they are experiencing any sort if crisis, be it physical, mental health or social care related.”

In Cheshire and Merseyside, £33m has been allocated Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust STP to build a new 40-bed low-secure unit for people with learning disabilities.

A spokesperson for Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to have confirmation that this funding has been secured and look forward to working with our partners in the months ahead on a new state of the art hospital. We are developing a business case and the planning documents for a modern secure hospital and will be engaging with stakeholders. We support some of the most complex individuals in the NHS, and this capital investment will enable us to deliver the very best therapy and care for people with learning disabilities and forensic needs.”

£18m has been allocated to NHS Wirral CCG which will be used to co-locate the Urgent Treatment Centre on site with Arrowe Park Hospital. The proposed redesign of the urgent care model will include a single, outward facing front door via the Urgent Treatment Centre which will enable improved and clinically efficient patient flow, therefore improving patient experience as well as providing the platform on which to base behaviour and cultural change.

Simon Banks, Chief Officer, NHS Wirral CCG, said: “I’m really pleased that Wirral residents are going to benefit from this extra money.  The Urgent Treatment Centre will ensure that we can provide a seamless urgent care service at Arrowe Park Hospital and compliments our recent decision to retain walk in facilities in Wallasey, Birkenhead and Eastham as well as more GP appointments.”

Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of the NHS, said: “This is a significant start to the much needed capital investment so that our nurses doctors and other NHS staff will be able to care for their patients in modern facilities with state of the art equipment. The concrete steps being set out this week will mean investment flows directly to frontline services, providing modern scanners and new clinics and wards. As they come on line, as part of our NHS Long Term Plan patients will benefit from speedier cancer diagnosis, reduced waits for treatment, and wider upgrades to the quality of care the health service is able to offer.”

Bill McCarthy, Regional Director, NHS England and NHS Improvement North West, said: “This is a significant step, and one which will be welcome to the people of the North West, who will benefit from improvements to patient care seen as a result of some of this work. We are pleased to see some important schemes being supported, and will be working closely with the organisations involved to ensure that the patients they serve see real benefits from this investment.”