THE NEW and improved Broadmoor Hospital is now open, offering state-of-the-art facilities to its patients.
Located in the existing grounds to the west of the old site, the new hospital has been purpose-built to provide a safe, therapeutic environment for the care, treatment and rehabilitation of patients who need psychiatric care in a high-secure setting.
The rebuild comes more than 150 years after the original hospital was founded.
The NHS said that patients and staff have now been moved into the facility which replaces the old buildings, some of which pre-date the foundation of the NHS.
And to ensure that the new buildings are fit for purpose, they have been designed with help from staff, patients and carers.
Improvements include spacious ward areas, with plenty of natural light and access to ward gardens.
The modern layout aims to allow staff to observe patients effectively and maintain a safe environment; a multi-disciplinary team is located on every ward.
And there is a central building housing a wide range of therapeutic, vocational, educational and healthy living activities and a multi-faith room.
In a statement, Carolyn Regan, chief executive of West London NHS Trust, said: “The new hospital epitomises the ethos of hope and recovery at Broadmoor.
“With its focus on the use of space and natural light, the hospital has been designed to reflect this ethos, but it is, above all, the people who make the difference. The expertise, compassion and calm professionalism of the staff at Broadmoor are fundamental to the way in which they care for and work with patients towards their rehabilitation and recovery.
“The new hospital enables us to provide this care in an environment fit for the 21st Century over the coming years.”