Image shows morning in our Northampton grounds

Our four male and female PICU wards are based centrally across Northampton and Essex offering 24/7 rapid assessment, intensive treatment and stabilisation for people with acute phases of mental illness, we aim to give you a decision on your referral within the hour. 

To make an enquiry or discuss a referral please contact our wards directly

Heygate ward – Male PICU N'ton Tel: 01604 616 111 Email: [email protected]

Bayley ward – Female PICU N'ton Tel: 01604 614 584 Email: [email protected]

Audley ward – Male PICU Essex Tel: 01268 723 930 Email: [email protected]

Frinton ward – Female PICU Essex Tel: 01268 723 860 Email: [email protected]

Rapid Response service - For acquired brain injury, complex dementia or Huntington's disease

Male or Female Northampton - Telephone: 0800 434 6690   Email: [email protected]

How have you found our PICU referral to admission process? CLICK HERE to let us know

Meet our PICU multi-disciplinary team

Our PICU ward teams offer an extensive multi-disciplinary approach in their care of our patients, and this week some of the team come together to share what they think sets our service apart from many others.

‘Being flexible, having good levels of communication, meeting regularly and having good physical services, both inside and outside of the units, are real positives for St Andrew’s’ Dr Shubhinder Shergill

With male and female wards in Essex and Northampton our PICU service is for people who need more intensive levels of support and care. They may be at higher risk of being violent to other people and they may be a risk to themselves. We provide them with an environment that is quieter and very highly staffed.

From the moment someone comes through the door of our PICU services, we’re working towards their recovery, so they can move back to their community as quickly as possible.

‘When I got to St Andrew’s there was something that really blew me away in comparison to one of the places I’d worked before, it wasn’t as patient-led as it is here….knowing that the patient was at the centre of their care, that they had an opinion and a voice and that they were really heard by everyone involved’ Lynsey Harradence, OT Technical Instructor

Our therapeutic approaches and environments

Our extensive on-site multi-disciplinary team mean that our PICU patients have access to a wide breadth of therapeutic interventions and support including:

•  Sensory Integration trained therapists
• Dedicated Arts therapists
• Rapid internal and external leave assessments completed with our ward based Occupational Therapists following admission
• Patient led Community meetings.

 Our ward environments are also specifically designed to support patients, providing designated spaces that are key to our therapeutic approach:

• Sensory/Chill-out rooms to support patients with increased arousal levels and help them to develop self-regulatory sensory strategies
• Therapy gardens helping to promote pride and personal achievement and offering opportunities to engage in activities that encourage positive connections within a physical and social environment
• A wide variety of sports facilities and sessions combatting physical health issues, promoting positive emotional regulation and improving self esteem