The Longview Psychiatric Unit is an adolescent-only British mental health facility, which deals with children between the ages of eleven and seventeen. The facility is sited at 216 Turner Road, Colchester, Essex. It is one of the few psychiatric hospitals for adolescents located in Essex. The hospital previously had an intensive outreach program, but the Crisis team have since moved to Holmer Court, Colchester.
Contents
Services
The hospital supports both residence - up to thirteen patients - and a day attendance programme. The hospital has nine beds for Essex, four beds for Suffolk, and two places for North Essex day attendees. Two of the bedrooms are double rooms, which can hold two patients. The average residence time is six weeks, but there are many patients who have been patients for up to six months or longer, with very little progress made. However a patient's length of stay depends on their recovery rate and cooperation with treatment. Longview is closely associated with the Colchester Mind Advocacy service, a service that helps stand up and protect the patient's view about his or her educational and emotional needs. More recently, it has become associated with the Patient Advice and Liaison Service, (PALS), which serve a similar purpose.
Layout
The Longview Psychiatric hospital is primarily an open unit, meaning patients can roam around freely throughout the facility, but while dealing with patients with more severe illnesses, such as severe psychosis or Schizophrenia they have been known to lock down and prevent patients from exploring the facility and grounds.
The unit has two residential wings; the south-eastern side being for the male patients, and the south-western side for the females. Each wing has a toilet, shower, and sink. In between these two wings is a long wide hallway which leads towards the basic educational facilities, as well as the numerous counselling rooms. At the bottom of this hallway is the Nurse's office, which the staff write up their notes on their assigned patients, as well as relax during night shifts. In each patient bedroom, there are windows which are locked so they cannot be opened far enough for one to fit through.
Officially, Longview qualifies as a Special Needs education facility, as one of the focuses is of educating the patients with the required syllabuses while they are recovering from their mental health problems, this allows them to keep up with mainstream education, in a safer, more friendly environment.
Facilities
Longview provides both basic, and recreational facilities, these being:
- Two Kitchens—Staff Kitchen, and Patient Kitchen. Provides hot water, and other basic food or drink.
- Social Room—A room for patients to socialise. It also has a television.
- Game Room—PlayStation, Game Tables, and a Piano.
- Group Room—Used for group therapy.
- Art Cabin—Full of instruments, and art equipment. Art therapy is held here.
- Lunchroom—A large room full of tables for both the staff and patients to eat in.