Publish date: 29 July 2021
It was pomp and ceremony – as well as an opportunity for staff and patients to meet a member of the royal family under Covid-safety guidelines – for the official opening of Mersey Care’s latest new generation of mental health hospitals on Monday.
HRH The Princess Royal arrived at Hartley Hospital, Southport, on Monday accompanied by the Lord Lt of Merseyside Mr Mark Blundell. The Princess Royal was presented to the Mayor of Sefton and Mayor of Sefton Councillor Clare Carragher, Mayoress Mrs Audrey Stanson, Chief Executive of Sefton Council Mr Dwayne Johnson, and Chairman of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Beatrice Fraenkel.
The Princess Royal was then introduced inside the hospital to Mersey Care’s Chief Executive Joe Rafferty CBE, along with Chief Operating Officer Local Services Division Donna Robinson and Senior Clinical Nurse Noirin Smith.
A tour of the new hospital began on the first-floor staff occupied by offices, outpatients service and meeting rooms, where the Princess Royal met a number of clinical and community staff, escorted by community mental health team manager Sharon Ball and consultant Dr Debbie Marsden and the Early Intervention Service among others.
The tour also took in key areas of the ground floor including the Urgent Care Team and Mere Assessment Suite. Numbers were restricted for visits directly onto Dunes and Pine Wards, where The Princess Royal was presented with flowers by patients and had an opportunity to talk ward staff and patients.
The royal visitor was shown into one of the courtyard gardens where Strategic Estates Manager Deana Huizer explained the significance of the spaces. Assistant Chaplain Rose Taker spoke about the role of the spiritual and pastoral care service, and Service User Representative Don Bryant met HRH in The Jam Butty Café area to explain how service users and carers had been involved in the design of the hospital.
A group of staff assembled in an open-air garden close next to the café, where the official opening ceremony took place. The Princess Royal unveiled a commemorative plaque, which is to be fixed ton a wall close to the café on the main entrance corridor.
Below you can view two videos from the event:
View our gallery of photos from the royal visit below. You can right click to download and print some off for personal/non-commercial use only. Copyright is Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.
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Read more about the opening on our website