Future mental health

We are thrilled to share in this investment, which is part of a wider Dorset New Hospitals Programme (NHP) investment across the three participating Dorset NHS provider organisations spanning eleven site-based projects which is estimated at £507.25m. The East Dorset Mental Health Campus is one of the eleven site-based projects with the lead organisation for delivery of the project is Dorset HealthCare. The investment will help us to deliver improved mental health services for children and adults, enabled by modern, fit for purpose buildings and technology.

Using government funding of £70.57million, we are planning to create an acute mental health centre of excellence across two of our sites. Our project includes two brand-new in-patient wards meaning:

  • local people can get treated sooner
  • care takes place in a modern, purpose-built and safe environment close to home.

The plans for Dorset HealthCare propose:

  • increasing existing adult Mental Health (AMH) provision
  • additional inpatient beds in a new ward
  • upgrading of inadequate inpatient accommodation
  • replacement male and female adult psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) beds
  • a larger Health Based Place of Safety for detention under Section 136 of the 1983 Mental Health Act
  • a new child and adolescent mental health services psychiatric intensive care unit (CAMHS PICU).

Our preparation works have completed and the main build construction began on both sites in early June 2024.

If you have any questions, please email dhc.communications.team@nhs.net

The projects 

Alumhurst Road

St Ann’s Hospital

The projects in the media

What else is happening in Dorset?

Dorset County Hospital: Your Future Hospital | Dorset County Hospital (dchft.nhs.uk)

University Hospital Dorset: Investing in our hospitals (uhd.nhs.uk)

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