Building Services Engineering
A complex engineering project at Chester CAMHS unit
Founder and managing director of Steven A Hunt & Associates, Steven Hunt, describes the company’s specialist design and provision of a comprehensive ‘package’ of building engineering services for a new CAMHS inpatient in Chester. Among the priorities for the firm were making the new building as energy-efficient as possible – and in turn reducing its running costs and carbon footprint, providing equipment that was easy to operate and maintain, and ensuring a comfortable, yet sufficiently secure, environment for patients and staff.
The remit of the National Health Service (NHS) specialist CAMHS (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services) team is diverse, and its role is increasingly significant in assessing and addressing the emotional, behavioural, and mental health needs of young people up to the age of 19. CAMHS teams are focused on guiding and
supporting young people and their families through the process of diagnosis and treatment for behavioural conditions such as ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder), ADHD (Attention Deficit
‘Our remit was to design a services installation that would maintain the highest levels of safety and security for patients, staff, and visitors’
Hyperactivity Disorder), and a full range of mental health conditions and psychological problems. While most of these services are provided on an outpatient basis, and delivered in close co-operation with other professionals including schools and social services, there is also a need for specialist provision for young people with more severe mental health service needs.
URGENT REQUIREMENT RECOGNISED It’s an urgent requirement that has been recognised by Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP), which is developing an advanced new CAMHS inpatient unit within the grounds of the Countess of Chester Health Park in Chester. The project is being delivered by Villicare – a joint venture between CWP and Ryhurst, a specialist in healthcare joint venture estates development schemes.
The new unit will replace two inpatient
CAMHS wards for the Trust – The Maple Ward, which supports young people that require admission at short notice for crisis assessment or treatment, and Pine Lodge, which is for planned admissions and treatment. The £14 million scheme has been named Ancora House. Construction of the Tier 4 facility began on site in April last year, and is scheduled for completion this September. Once completed, the new facility will provide 26 beds split into two wards of 12 and 14 beds respectively. Each of these will be subdivided into two smaller areas with bedrooms and day spaces. The new unit will also include a central nurses’ station, a seclusion suite, and a four-bed PICU (Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit).
SPECIALIST DESIGN Designed by specialist healthcare architects, Gilling Dod, the new facility is being constructed by Eric Wright Construction as a design and build project. The building services, however, were designed outside of this contract due to the very specialist provision required in a facility of this nature. A building services engineering specialist with 25 years’ experience of designing mechanical and electrical installations for both healthcare and mental health environments, Steven A Hunt & Associates was entrusted with both the concept design of the services for the new facility, and ongoing management of the design development and installation. Our remit was to design a services
A 3D render of the courtyard at Ancora House. THE NE TWORK J u l y 20 16 21
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