Villa 19, 24 bed Low Secure Forensic Unit, Northgate Hospital

Sector: Mental Health
Client: Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
Role: Lead Consultant & Architect
Value: £6.25m
Status: Due on site Winter 2010

This project replaces an existing building and service on the Northgate Hospital site near Morpeth. It will provide longer term continuing care, treatment and rehabilitation for 24 male patients who have a learning disability and have offended or displayed offending type behaviours.

The care treatment is provided in a low secure, locked environment. The building is split into 4 flats, each with six bedrooms. Communal dayspace accommodation is provided in each flat too. Patients tend to have poor social skills and therefore it was seen to be beneficial to have smaller self contained areas rather than one or two larger wards.

The site is surrounded by mature trees and so the building plays on this relationship by opening views out to the surrounding landscape where possible.