Construction firm Kier has been appointed by the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to deliver a new £60 million 54-bed acute inpatient mental health hospital in Bexhill as part of its Re-designing Inpatient Services in East Sussex (RIS:ES) Programme.

This is the first step in the RIS:ES Programme which is aimed at providing all mental health inpatient services across East Sussex on a single site.

The 57,393 sq. ft facility will provide high-quality inpatient services for adults and will replace out-dated services currently provided in the Department of Psychiatry at Eastbourne District General Hospital.

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There will be three 18-bed wards, all with individual bedrooms and en suite bathrooms, surrounded by attractive and therapeutic landscaped green space. The new building will also provide outpatient services as well as training facilities for medical and other related professions.

The building will be fully electric and highly insulated, with energy efficient systems being implemented to reduce energy usage and optimise environmental performance. The majority of the roof will include solar panels and a range of electric vehicle charging points will be installed for maintenance teams, staff and visitors.

In addition, the car park has ‘rain gardens’ that collect the surface water run-off, filtering it into a storm water attenuation tank before it is discharged directly into the ordinary watercourse. This prevents flooding and minimises impact on buildings and the environment.