ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
Meaningful days in focus at Morpeth MSU
Developed around the concept of a ‘village campus’, Sycamore is a new medium secure facility at the heart of the £60 m redevelopment of Northgate Hospital in Morpeth, Northumberland, which provides a wide variety of indoor and outdoor settings for relaxation and activity, relieving boredom, and addressing the risk of challenging behaviours and poor physical health. Paul Yeomans, director at Medical Architecture, reports.
Designed by Medical Architecture and built by Sir Robert McAlpine for NTW Solutions – Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Sycamore at Northgate Hospital is vital to the future delivery of modern and effective forensic mental health services in the North East of England. The new facility is the catalyst to allow all secure services across the Trust to be brought together from previously dispersed sites, consolidated in a single, integrated secure centre of excellence. The entire redevelopment provides a total of 116 male inpatient beds, located in a combination of new and reconfigured existing buildings. The new-build element, named Sycamore, provides inpatient accommodation for 72 male patients with a range of forensic mental health needs, including patients with complex personality disorders and/or learning disabilities. The project, delivered through Cohort 1 of the NHS New Hospital Programme, fulfils one of the Trust’s key strategic priorities, forming part of its £72.6 m Care Environment Development and Re-provision programme (CEDAR). The existing hospital site is a large open campus, containing a mix of buildings and facilities. Much of the eastern portion, which was earmarked for development, is neighboured by a broad area of mature
The main reception building.
woodland. Proposals set out to develop a portion of the land for the new building, with the remaining allocated for housing development. Early feasibility work demonstrated benefits to siting the new hospital where it would be flanked by an aspect of trees on three sides – the natural setting enhancing the therapeutic nature of the accommodation.
Preventing boredom It is well recognised that in secure mental health inpatient units, boredom leads to challenging behaviours and poor physical
health. A key driver for the design was thus to ensure a meaningful day for all service-users, promoting recovery through activity. As a result, the facility is devised as a ‘village campus’ focusing on the individual patient and staff experience, with as many spaces as possible, both inside and out, offering opportunities for mitigating boredom. This is achieved in a range of settings that can be accessed autonomously – from bedrooms to living spaces, and sheltered gardens to open courtyards, with opportunities for both structured and unstructured sports and activities. The six patient wards are paired
together and arranged around a large recreation courtyard. Each building is adjoined, creating a secure boundary without the need for fences, minimising the feeling of confinement. With rich landscaping and integrated security measures, this shared space does not feel like a typical forensic mental health facility. Instead, it provides a calm, green environment that can safely support a range of prescribed and flexible activities. In creating the design for the
The six patient wards are paired together and arranged around a large recreation courtyard. THE NETWORK | MAY 2024
space, landscape architecture practice, Colour, drew reference from prospect- refuge theory. Originally developed by geographer-poet, Jay Appleton, in 1975 to explain preferences for certain landscapes, the theory proposes that most people
37
Richard Chivers
Richard Chivers
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
