psychiatryA 12-bed mental health unit for women with severe and complex mental health issues is the first of its kind in the UK, an NHS trust has claimed.

The purpose-built facilities have been specifically designed to treat borderline personality disorders. Residents at the Daisy Hill centre in Bradford will be offered intensive therapy during a six-month programme.

Local mental health care provider, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, has invested £1.6 million in the new unit, which houses state-of-the-art facilities and a treatment therapy programme as yet unrivalled in the UK.

In a bid to create a welcoming and restful space, ideas for Daisy Hill’s design were gathered from service users at the Trust. They were consulted on detailed elements, including the centre’s name and its decor.

Daisy Hill ITC lead Patrick Harper, an advanced certified schema therapist, supervisor and trainer, said: "The need for inpatient therapy of this kind has been under-served until now; we are creating a whole pathway. This is a tremendously exciting opportunity for Bradford, as local people now have a specialist service right on their doorstep."

The Bradford District Care Foundation Trust said the centre, at Lynfield Mount hospital, would eventually be opened up for men to also be referred there.

Alongside its specialist treatment programme, diverse therapeutic activities including music and art therapy, gardening, walking and crafts will be available. Its therapists, psychiatrists and specialist nursing staff are available for patients from across the UK.

Personality disorders vary in severity and type and include borderline, anti-social, paranoid and narcissistic behaviours.