Work to expand and refurbish a mental health inpatient unit for children and young people has been successfully completed.

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) NHS Trust received £2 million from NHS England and Improvement (NHSE/I) to expand and refurbish its Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) inpatient unit, the Riverside, after carrying out a review of the functional suitability of the building.

The newly refurbished unit, at Blackberry Hill Hospital in Bristol, provides care and treatment for children aged 13 to 18 who need intensive help with a range of serious mental health problems. Improvement and expansion works have been taking place since March 2020 to increase the number of beds from 10 to 12 and to provide day patient provision.

Following the completion of the works, the unit reopened on Tuesday 8th June.

Mark Arruda-Bunker, Associate Director for Specialised, Secure and CAMHS at Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) NHS Trust, said: “We are really pleased to be able to reopen the Riverside Unit so that we can continue to support children and young people who need intensive treatment for their mental health conditions.

“As well as increasing the number of beds we have available, we have undertaken significant improvement works to modernise the building.”

The new facilities include two new en-suite bedrooms, improved facilities to support education and learning as well as dining and social areas, and an internal lift.

Mark continued: “The improved facilities will better support the children and young people we look after to receive a multi-disciplinary approach to their care and treatment which meets their mental health, physical health, educational/occupational, social and spiritual needs in a safe, age appropriate and therapeutic environment. We want to ensure young people are actively involved in planning and participating in their care and these modernised facilities enable us to provide a range of group and individual therapies in a supportive environment designed to help young people deal with their difficulties.”

As well as providing inpatient facilities, the Riverside Unit is also home to a day service, supporting children and young people under the care of the AWP community CAMHS teams across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

Rachel Pearce, Commissioning Director at NHS England and NHS Improvement South West, said: “We are delighted to have been able to fund the £2 million refurbishment of the Riverside Unit.

“The team worked with children and young people to ensure the unit meets their needs and they will now benefit from high quality care in a first-class setting.

“By increasing the number of inpatient beds it means more service users in the South West will be able to receive the care they need closer to home.”

The Riverside Unit closed in March 2020 to enable the improvement works to take place. Throughout the closure, AWP worked closely with NHSE/I to deliver an enhanced day service, which provided wrap-around care tailored to each individual. The Trust also provided telephone support and advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with home visits if required and worked closely with NHSE/I regarding bed availability and access when needed.