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Alastair Campbell, broadcaster, journalist and mental health campaigner, has spoken  movingly about the death of his brother, Donald, at 62 with schizophrenia.

He revealed the struggles his brother endured over many decades as he officially opened Highgate East, a brand new, 78-bed, inpatient mental health facility on the borders of Camden, Haringey and Islington.

Alastair, who lives with his family in Gospel Oak, said:  “When my brother died, we sat down with a map of the UK and dotted all the different places where he’d been. So, we had all these hospitals all around the country and some of them were amazing and some of them were terrible and places where you would not want to be treated.”

“That is why I wanted to be involved today – I felt the power of the architecture as we were going around.  What is important if you have a facility like this, is that you really shout about it.  You should get people in to see it.  You can see best practice here and hopefully that can spread.”

Plaque unveiling

Alastair was joined by Jeremy Corbyn MP, newly elected Independent MP for Islington North, and they did the honours, jointly, of unveiling a plaque marking the opening.

Service users, staff and representatives from the Camden and Islington Councils and the NHS attended, including Chris Hopson, NHS England's Chief Strategy Officer and Bimal Patel, Chief Finance Officer at the North Central London Integrated Care Board (ICB). C&I Governors and Non-Executive Directors were also present. 

Highgate East has 78 single, ensuite rooms in a dynamic and contemporary setting for mental health care. Each ward has access to fresh air through a series of terraced sky gardens, all fully enclosed for safety and security, while allowing service users to connect with nature and get the most out of their recreational activities.

North London Mental Health Partnership’s (NLMHP) estate transformation plans are part of a wider, clinically informed vision to provide the calibre of mental health care that service users rightly expect and deserve. Highgate East will set new standards for mental health inpatient care and break down traditional barriers, with a ground-floor café, open to the public, due to start operating in the autumn.

To shape and inform the building of Highgate East, NLMHP listened to service users, staff, and the wider community. The final design, quality of light inside, good air circulation, clear ward layout and sensory rooms will help ease service users’ distress. The bedrooms were designed with individual temperate controls to supports service users’ independence and recovery. 

As well as providing an enhanced therapeutic environment, Highgate East offers staff a modern working environment with bright spacious offices and meeting spaces, and relaxation areas.

Fantastic new building

Jinjer Kandola MBE, NLMHP Chief Executive, said: “We are extremely proud of our fantastic new building, which provides state-of-the-art inpatient mental health facilities for local people from Camden, Haringey and Islington, all boroughs with high levels of mental health need.

“We believe that Highgate East is one of the best NHS mental health inpatient facilities in the country and those service users and staff who moved here in March are already seeing the benefits.

“The design of Highgate East feels more like a modern hotel than a traditional NHS mental health facility. The building includes a sports hall for service users and space for a new community café which will be open to the public, helping to break down traditional barriers and destigmatise views of mental health.”

Nicky Baker, a service user who was involved in the co-production of Highgate East said: “This building is absolutely fantastic. When you suffer from a mental illness, you shut yourself away and you’re in a dark space. Coming here, you’re in the light and the fresh air, and it feels so comfortable. If you’re ill and you come here, you will get better – it’s a home away from home.”