A £4.4m replacement for the psychiatric care unit at Stratheden Hospital has been given the green light.
NHS Fife wants to build a new state of the art 8 bed facility, with rehabilitation facilities and a communal lounge. Patients will each have their own single en-suite bedrooms, offering more privacy, whilst there will also be access to an outdoor courtyard and private meeting rooms for visits from families or visitors.
Building work is due to start next month. It is expected to be ready in the spring of 2016. The project is one element of the ongoing work to modernise areas of Stratheden Hospital.
NHS Fife Interim Chief Executive, Dr Brian Montgomery said:
"I am very pleased that formal approval has been granted to replace the Intensive Psychiatric Care Unit at Stratheden Hospital.
"Replacing the existing unit is a key part of our strategy to improve mental health services in Fife and we, as an organisation, recognise the importance of providing modern, therapeutic environments to support the delivery of high quality patient care.
"The new state-of-the-art unit will ensure that the most vulnerable patients can be cared for in a safer, more secure and supportive environment, designed specifically to meet their needs."