Cedar House, Bedford

There is currently an unprecedented level of spending on new mental health facilities. The NHS Confederation and Future Healthcare Network called for strategic investment to fit in with emerging models of care, to improve service user experiences and outcomes.

In the current climate of financial uncertainty and system change, the need for such a strategic approach is all the more acute. Many member trusts engaged in mental health capital programmes have complained of the lack of central information about good practice in investment and service redesign. FHN's work went some way to filling the gap. In the longer term, a repository of information which is constantly updated is required.

Good quality and safe mental health care which is respectful of service users and staff can only be delivered with the right tools. Making service sustainable for the future involves using the following three tools:

• careful strategic planning and assessment of need
• well designed facilities which fit with the strategic plan
• motivated staff who feel valued and supported in their work

Particular challenges facing trusts include the poor inpatient environments in some areas which are detrimental to the recovery of service users and to the morale of staff. Much work is going on nation-wide to improve and re-provide inpatient environments, which are a vital part of any mental health system even in the context of the move towards community care. Working practices and models of care are also being reviewed in many places in the drive towards more efficient and effective services.

Scope

FHN's mental health programme set out to report and analyse:

1. The current state of investment into development and service redesign in NHS mental health care providing organisations
2. The policy and service context in which this investment is taking place, and some of the factors driving it
3. The role that capital investment into new infrastructure has to play in service redesign and the benefits of such investment for all stakeholders
4. The challenges in planning service redesign and new buildings particularly with relation to capacity
5. Design principles for sustainable, safe, therapeutic settings for mental health care

As FHN is now closed these pages will no longer be updated.