New £105.9m mental health unit is the first in the country to be all-electric

North View, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH)’s new state-of-the-art mental health unit currently under construction in North Manchester, will be the first all-electric mental health unit in the country when it opens its doors in 2024.

This major step forward will support NHS England’s national agenda to deliver a ‘Net Zero’ National Health Service, by reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and decarbonising the healthcare estate.

GMMH is investing £105.9 million in modern facilities with the construction of the new adult mental health inpatient unit to replace Park House, the current mental health unit on the North Manchester General Hospital site. Work on North View started in August 2022 with the new unit anticipated to be built and operational by 2024.

Once completed, the upgrade will see improvements to patient experience, with spacious single bedrooms, each with a private en-suite shower room, as well as a variety of indoor activity areas, meeting rooms for family visiting, multiple gardens, spaces for therapeutic artwork and a café.

It will house a purpose-built Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), eight adult acute wards and a treatment suite. The building has been specifically designed to minimise its environmental impact, through renewable energy sources, innovative technology and sustainable materials to optimise energy efficiency. It will include the following:

Technology – Solar photovoltaics (PV) panels will be incorporated across the building to capture the sun’s energy and convert it into usable electricity.The building’s energy use will be monitored and controlled by using intelligent building-management systems.
Lighting – LED lighting, which is today’s most energy efficient lighting technology, will be fitted throughout as standard.
Hot Water – Hot water will be produced through a combination of solar thermal technology and air source heat pumps (which source heat from other areas) to supply efficient, temperature-controlled hot water throughout.
Heating – Heating will be produced from air source heat pumps, which will supply underfloor heating and radiant panels throughout the building.
Ventilation & Cooling – Ventilation will be provided through a combination of natural ventilation wherever possible, and chilled water from reverse cycle air source heat pumps, which will be sent to air conditioning systems to maintain a comfortable temperature. This has been developed through virtual modelling to maximise the efficiency.
Insulation – The building will be incredibly well insulated, using sustainable materials to prevent heat loss and reduce energy use.

Marc Reed, Associate Director of Capital, Estates and Facilities at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) said:“We are incredibly proud to say that North View will be the first all-electric mental health unit in the country.Sustainability and the environment is a huge national agenda, and is something we have been striving to support through the delivery of this project, which can have a significant impact on the health of our communities. It’s extremely important that we do all we can to support this through the design, build and future operation of our new mental health unit for North Manchester.“Through renewable energy, innovative technology and sustainable materials, we will be able to manage and optimise energy usage and significantly reduce our carbon footprint; whilst maintaining a comfortable, therapeutic environment for our patients, visitors and staff.”

This new development is part of an exciting vision for North Manchester General Hospital to improve health and wellbeing for local people over the next 10 to 15 years. GMMH is working with its Principal Supply Chain Partner, Integrated Health Projects (the alliance between VINCI Construction UK and Sir Robert McAlpine) to deliver the project. GMMH recently shared drone footage of North View under construction.