Tilbury Douglas has completed the refurbishment and extension of the Blossomwood mental health unit in Nottinghamshire.
The modernised environment for older people’s mental health services was delivered for the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Located within the King’s Mill Hospital estate in Sutton-in-Ashfield, the scheme involved the transformation of the former Millbrook unit into a contemporary, clinically led facility.
The scheme replaces older dormitory-style wards with individual en-suite bedrooms, improving privacy, dignity and infection control for patients.
It also introduces calmer, dementia-friendly environments and adaptable care spaces designed to support different levels of mental health and cognitive need.
Works were delivered within a fully operational facility, requiring careful coordination to maintain services for vulnerable patients throughout construction.
Alongside extensive refurbishment works, the scheme also delivered new-build extensions, adding capacity and supporting the Trust’s plans to develop a leading specialist service for older people’s mental health care.
A key feature of the project was the development of a bespoke dementia-friendly door solution.
“[This scheme] demanded not only technical excellence, but genuine empathy, collaboration and understanding of the constraints of working within a live mental health environment,” said Chris Loach, Regional Director for the East Midlands at Tilbury Douglas.
Designed collaboratively by Tilbury Douglas, the Trust and specialist suppliers, the product was created to address the lack of compliant off-the-shelf options and has potential for wider adoption across the UK mental health estate.
The completed facility provides a calmer, more therapeutic setting, with design decisions focused on improving infection control, patient dignity and overall care delivery for older adults with mental health needs.
