Surrey NHS opens £8.5m mental health ward

An £8.5m NHS mental health facility for women has opened in Surrey while another unit in Chertsey is rebuilt.

The former Abraham Cowley Unit is being demolished and rebuilt to give patients a more modern environment, replacing dormitories with en-suites.

The new £38m mental health hospital is planned to open in spring 2024.

The New Spenser Ward at St Peter's Hospital was opened by Runnymede and Weybridge MP and former mental health medic Dr Ben Spencer.

He said he was "incredibly impressed" by its therapeutic, modern and bright environment.

The government-funded facility was built in under eight months.

Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said the New Spenser Ward, built using modular construction methods, could be transported and repurposed to support other areas of the trust after the new hospital opens.

Construction is expected to start this autumn on the site of the former Abraham Cowley Unit.

Final decisions are still being made about which services will be based there.

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