Broadmoor Hospital: High security £250m site opens in Crowthorne Published duration 16 December 2019

image copyright West London NHS Trust image caption The new high-security Broadmoor Hospital cost £250m to build

The new £250m high-security Broadmoor Hospital, treating men detained under the Mental Health Act, has opened.

Patients and staff have moved into the hospital in Crowthorne, Berkshire, near to its former 150-year-old Victorian home.

The building which has faced delays was due to open in 2017.

West London NHS Trust said the site "epitomises hope and recovery" and would help it provide care "in an environment fit for the 21st Century".

The new Broadmoor Hospital includes three new ward buildings, gardens and a central building where patients can take part in activities.

What is Broadmoor?

image copyright West London NHS Trust image caption It will be able to treat up to 210 adult men with mental illness

Broadmoor is one of three high-security hospitals in England.

The new hospital will be able to provide treatment for up to 210 men with mental illness and personality disorders who represent a high degree of risk to themselves and others.

Patients are admitted from prison, court or medium secure hospitals. Some have not committed an offence, but need specialised care in a high-security setting to aid their recovery.

All patients at Broadmoor Hospital are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

The average length of stay at Broadmoor Hospital is five-and-a-half years.

Previous patients have included notorious inmate Charles Bronson, and killers Ronnie Kray and Peter Sutcliffe.

Carolyn Regan, chief Executive of West London NHS Trust, said: "The new hospital epitomises the ethos of hope and recovery at Broadmoor."

"The new hospital enables us to provide this care in an environment fit for the 21st Century over the coming years," she said.

The old Victorian building on the same grounds as the new site will be put up for sale.

image caption The old Victorian hospital will be put on the market