Kier selected for Ayrshire mental health facility

Foxgrove will be the first medium-secure adolescent inpatient service in Scotland. It will be an inpatient unit for teenagers with complex difficulties and needing a high level of care.The new unit will have 12 en-suite bedrooms, a dining area, recreational areas including a gym and sports barn, therapy and education space as well as staff areas including staff accommodation.The building will be timber frame with rendered insulation panels and facing brick forming the envelope with a Kalzip roof.“Currently, there are no facilities in Scotland to care for this most challenging and vulnerable group of patients,” said Caroline Cameron, director of North Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership. “This means that children are referred to secure adolescent mental health facilities in England, or in some cases, the child may be cared for in an adult inpatient setting. This places significant additional pressure and stress on the child, as well as their families.”Kier was awarded the contract via the Health Facilities Scotland framework.Kier Construction regional director Phil McDowell said: “This is such an important project, and the first of its kind in Scotland. We’re proud to be working with NHS Ayrshire & Arran to deliver a key strand of the Scottish government’s mental health strategy.”