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07
Apr
Work to convert a former Harrogate office block into a mental health facility has started.
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust is spending £2.1 million to create the facility at Jesmond House on Victoria Avenue.
The trust, which runs mental health services across Harrogate, County Durham and Teeside, is set to convert the office block into a community hub.
The building will also be renamed to Hummingbird House — a name which was suggested by patients, carers and staff.
Chris Parker, capital design officer for the trust, said:
I’m both excited and relieved to have finally commenced the construction portion of the project.
This has been many years in the making. There’s been a great deal of hard work, planning, and design that’s gone into the development to date.
Now we get to realise the collaborative vision of all those involved. We’re confident that the hub’s placement in the heart of Harrogate will work well.
The revamp will include stripping out the three-storey building, external improvement work and a major internal refurbishment.
The trust’s community teams are currently split across three sites – Windsor House, Dragon Parade and Jennyfield Health Centre – but will all be based at the new hub.
Staff from the trust’s adult mental health services (AMHS) and children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) will move to the facility.
The hub is expected to open in autumn this year.
It comes as the trust agreed to move into Jesmond House in November 2024.
It was formerly occupied by North Yorkshire Council’s adult social care staff until the authority vacated the building in February as part of a £600,000 money-saving bid.
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