Leeds

A new £20m mental health unit will open this week in Leeds

"It’s a huge and important step forward in the region’s mental health services and will mean that children and young people can get the care they need close to home".

Sophie Smith - 12th January 2022

Red Kite View is a mental health inpatient unit for young people aged 13- 18 opening in Armley, Leeds this week.

Opening its doors for the very first time this week, Red Kite View is a purpose-built inpatient unit, built on the grounds of the old St Mary's Hospital site in Armley.

The new unit will be managed by the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and will have 22 beds, 16 of which will be on a general ward and a further 6 in a dedicated Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit.

An artist's impression of the new mental health unit. / Image: Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

The idea is that by introducing this new unit, the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust will be able to slowly tackle the desperate demand for space at inpatient units. At present, young people that need the psychiatric care that being an inpatient can provide have to wait for a bed space to become available- but this comes at no guarantee of being near home and many young people are asked to travel far from their hometowns and often this means they are subsequently far from their usual sources of support, in order to be placed in an inpatient unit.

The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said that, "it’s a huge and important step forward in the region’s mental health services and will mean that children and young people can get the care they need close to home. At the moment, many of them have to be placed where beds are available and this can be many miles from home and their loved ones which can hinder some young people’s progress and recovery."

Image: Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Although Red Kite will replace the current inpatient facility at Little Woodhouse Hall, the new unit will increase the capacity to cater for a further 14 young people and staffed by a team of 100 nurses, psychologists, teachers, health professionals and non-clinical support staff.

The new project, which has cost £20 million, will first open to five young people transferring from Little Woodhouse Hall and it is thought by May 2022, the inpatient unit will be fully occupied by young people detained under Section 136/135 of the Mental Health Act (1983) and "act as a space where they can receive a mental health assessment with specialist health professionals, rather than be detained in police custody or go to A&E."

According to the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the much needed improvements and facilities for children and young people across West Yorkshire will include a range of spacious and therapeutic areas, including a multi-purpose activity room, educational facilities, a family visiting room, courtyards and a green communal space for service users and staff.

Artist's impression of the bedrooms. / Image: Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

The name was inspired by nature in the local area, the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said that:

"The Kite is a bird that is well-established in West Yorkshire, and it can also be something fun that you fly in the sky. The name lends itself well to further naming of the two wards at the unit, as well as a theme for the internal artwork, so Board members felt this name would appeal to young people across different ages."