Priory Hospital Woking has opened a new 12-bedded extension for patients, to cope with demand for its services.

The first patients were admitted to the new beds last week. The extension represents a significant expansion of the now 36-bedded hospital which treats patients for a range of mental health conditions, and marks the end of a year of improvements at the site in Chobham Road, Knaphill in Surrey.

The new facilities provide 12 en-suite bedrooms accommodated across two floors, two lounge areas, quiet rooms and two rooms for group activities - as well as an additional office for nursing staff.

Hospital Director, Paula Smyth, said: “the new facilities will provide a truly caring environment for patients as well as a rewarding environment for staff. I am so pleased that we have been able to enhance the hospital to ensure patients are in the best possible place to be treated.

“If people are having mental health problems, the place in which they are treated can have a significant impact on their recovery. The facilities we now have at Woking provide a calm, relaxing, therapeutic space where patients can receive the best possible care and treatment.”

Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Ian Drever, who is based at Priory Woking and treats patients for depression, anxiety, stress and alcohol addiction, said: “patients who come here say they don’t need to keep up a façade. They can be who they really are, around people who understand how they feel and can relate to them in a non-judgemental way. Patients do really well here.

“Our patients are frequently high-functioning, highly intelligent people with a lot of things on their plate. There are certain times in their lives when events have gathered to overwhelm them and they have reached a tipping point where they feel completely depleted and illness is triggered. This site enables them to be treated in a safe environment where their recovery is paramount.”