Topping Out Ceremony On Site Of New Combe Valley Mental Health Hospital In Bexhill

Thursday, 5 December 2024 15:49

By Dominic Kureen @WriteOnDom

A Topping Out ceremony was held last Friday (29 November) on the site of the new Combe Valley Hospital currently being built in Bexhill-on-Sea by Kier Construction for Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT).

Topping Out is a construction tradition which takes place when the building reaches its full height or the final structural beam is raised into place.

To mark this milestone, local dignitaries, including HM Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, Mr Andrew Blackman; senior SPFT and other NHS representatives; Kier's regional director - as well as an Expert by Experience and a member of SPFT nursing staff - all signed their names on the final steel to form a lasting memento of the day.

Combe Valley Hospital will be a 54-bed hospital consisting of three 18-bed wards for adults of working age and older people, all with individual bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms.

It replaces outdated facilities at the Department of Psychiatry in Eastbourne and is expected to be completed towards the end of 2025.

What the attendees said:

SPFT Chair, Sean Duggan:

"This is another major milestone for the new hospital which will eventually provide high-quality mental healthcare for people across East Sussex and beyond in an exceptional and, importantly, therapeutic environment. "

SPFT Chief Executive, Dr Jane Padmore:

"This new hospital not only enables us to further improve the care we provide to the communities we serve, but also to recruit and retain the best people.

"Vitally, the hospital is being developed in partnership with people who use, or have used our services in the past, to make sure the facilities are fully co-produced at every stage."

NHS Sussex Chief Nursing Officer, Allison Cannon:

“This ceremony marked another fantastic achievement in our journey to creating an incredible new hospital for the people of Sussex.

"Mental health is one of the key priorities in our integrated care strategy – Improving Lives Together – and Combe Valley Hospital will deliver better services and support to those that need it while also providing a welcoming and inspiring environment for both patients and our much-valued staff.”