A £16m mental health unit at Ayrshire Central Hospital in Irvine is to be built following the appointment of Kier Construction by NHS Ayrshire & Arran. Kier were awarded the contract via the Health Facilities Scotland Framework.
The new unit is to have 12 en-suite bedrooms, a dining area, recreational areas with a gym and sports barn, together with therapy and education areas. There will also be staff areas and staff accommodation.
The construction will consist of a timber frame with rendered insulation panels together with facing brick forming the envelope with a Kalzip roof.
The facility, called Foxgrove, is the first medium-secure inpatient service for adolescent teenagers with complex difficulties which need a high degree of care. Children are presently referred to secured adolescent mental health facilities in England or sometimes cared for in an adult inpatient setting. Having this new facility close to home will benefit both the teenager and their family.