Plym Bridge House in Plymouth is a 12-bed purpose-built psychiatric unit run by Livewell Southwest, with property management services provided by ReSound Health.
The facility helps 12 to 18 year olds with severe mental health problems or mental illness requiring inpatient admission. Opened in 2010, the LIFT building was initially commissioned to include a 2-bed Extra Care area to provide suitable isolation for young people staying in the unit who needed constant attention.
The need for a Place of Safety.
A subsequent change in regulations and operating procedures meant that the space was under-utilised. Livewell also recognised that there was a pressing need to create a separate Children & Young People’s Place of Safety, to provide a safe haven for young people, not already resident, but who were in urgent need of help, assessment and observation. To bridge the gap, as a temporary measure in 2015, the Extra Care area at Plym Bridge House was adapted to serve as an interim Place of Safety until a permanent arrangement could be established.
With the increase in the number of Children & Young People across Devon needing to attend a Place of Safety assessment suite, in November 2017, Livewell submitted a bid for funds to build a permanent Children & Young People’s Place of Safety on the current temporary site at Plym Bridge House.
ReSound Health appointed AECOM to take the project through concept design to full planning consent, together with detailed specification and selection of a contractor by competitive tender. Plymouth Based contractor, Obedair Construction, were appointed and made good progress despite early delays due to inclement weather and the Covid-19 pandemic. The completed facility was handed over to Livewell in early July 2020.
Tracy Clasby from Livewell Southwest commented:
The completion of this extension has provided a much-needed facility to enable our Young People across Plymouth Devon and Torbay to be cared for in a dedicated space.
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