Following years of planning and preparation, the doors to the Derwent Unit in Chesterfield have opened, ushering in a new era of care for people in Derbyshire with acute mental health needs.
The Derwent Unit, based on the Chesterfield Royal Hospital site, welcomed 54 patients – each of whom will have their own en-suite bedroom and will benefit from modern, therapeutic facilities, supporting their patient journey and mental ill health.
This momentous development is the second of six facilities to open as part of Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s £150m Making Room for Dignity programme, which will eradicate the use of dormitory-style accommodation across the county’s mental health facilities. The 54 patients moving into the Derwent Unit transferred from the Hartington Unit, also at the Chesterfield Royal Hospital site.
Celebrations were in order after four years of collaboration with a range of partners at a national and local level as well as staff, patients and carers. The new facilities provide sensory environments and increased access to outdoor spaces, ensuring therapeutic activity begins from admission.
Each service user has their own en-suite bedroom and control over their environment, with the ability to adjust the lighting and temperature to suit their needs. The new facilities also provide greater access to outdoor and green spaces, with exercise areas and outdoor sensory spaces accessed directly from the wards – even on the upper floors of the Derwent Unit in Chesterfield and Carsington Unit in Derby, which will have secure sky gardens.
Mark Powell, Chief Executive of Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said he is confident that the new developments will enhance the services that are currently available. He said: “The Derwent Unit, along with the other five developments, will help us to provide first class healthcare, improving privacy and dignity. This puts Derbyshire on the map from a national and local perspective, providing a fantastic opportunity for us to improve the care offered to people with acute mental ill health.
“The buildings are purpose-built, offering a range of usable spaces to aid patient recovery. They will play a major part in helping us to provide trauma-informed and sensory-informed care to patients, in therapeutic environments.
“This a particularly exciting time for Derbyshire Healthcare and the communities we care for. While we still want to provide care for people at home or close to home wherever possible, we know that some people need more intensive support and it’s rewarding to see the Trust’s vision come to life in making these comfortable, therapeutic and liveable spaces that patients can thrive in.”
Selina Ullah, Trust Chair, was pleased to share the news of the facility’s opening. She said: “It has been an exciting day for Derbyshire. I am delighted we have now opened the doors of the Derwent Unit to staff, patients and their loved ones. An incredible amount of hard work has gone into this project, so a big thank you to everyone who has been involved.
“I am glad that we have addressed the gaps in the estate provision within mental health services and can now provide exceptional care to residents of Derby and Derbyshire.
“We are looking forward to seeing how these new developments achieve the best outcomes for our patients as well as our clinical teams.”
The programme team continuously engaged with service-users and carers via Derbyshire Healthcare’s EQUAL forum – a forum for those with lived experience and their carers – to discuss Trust matters.
Rosie Thorpe, who was previously an inpatient at the Radbourne Unit and is now a student mental health nurse, visited the new unit to see how the facilities have changed.
Rosie said: “Having a private room will work well for patients. They can have privacy when they want it. It’s good that the noisy alarms are being phased out too as they can be distressing for people.”
Alongside the Derwent Unit, the programme’s other two new buildings are the Carsington Unit, as well as Kingfisher House, both located at Kingsway Hospital in Derby.
The three refurbishment projects are Bluebell Ward, a ward at Walton Hospital in Chesterfield for older adults with acute mental health needs, which opened on 7 January 2025; the Radbourne Unit, at the Royal Derby Hospital; and Audrey House, an enhanced care unit for female patients at Kingsway in Derby.
To learn more about the Making Room for Dignity Programme, please visit the project’s webpage.
