Historic moment as time capsule is buried at North View's brand-new mental health unit

13th May 2024

A time capsule has been buried at the construction site of Manchester's brand-new adult mental health inpatient unit, North View.

North View, run by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), will replace the current Park House adult mental health inpatient unit on the North Manchester General Hospital site.

The time capsule was created to preserve the history of Park House, and memories of the North Manchester area, before North View opens later this year.

It contains contributions and memorabilia from Park House patients, staff, local schools and contractors, including:

• Winning submissions to the Time Capsule Worksheet Competition, made by school pupils in the North Manchester area,
• Contributions and artwork from service users at Park House,
• Staff photos from wards at Park House,
• A document detailing the NMGH site history,
• Information about Park House and the existing buildings,
• Information about mental health services and care,
• North View design and construction images,
• A visual timeline of key milestones for North View, and a North View progress video,
• A photo of the IHP (building construction) team,
• Coins,
• A newspaper,
• Stamps.

 The time capsule was officially buried at a special ceremony on 7th May 2024 and was attended by:

•  School children from schools in the North Manchester area,
• Park House patients and staff,
• The Chair of GMMH, Tony Warne,
• The Leader of Manchester City Council, Councillor Bev Craig,
• NHS England’s Director and Head of Profession for Estates and Facilities, Simon Corben.

After the ceremony, attendees were given a site tour of the North View building site, to see progress of the construction and ask any questions about the exciting new unit.

Momina, 10, from Abraham Moss Community School said:

“I made a poster for the time capsule. I drew a book because I love reading books; it is my passion and my hobby. I also drew a doctor because I want to be a doctor when I grow up.

“Burying the time capsule today has been very fun and interesting because we are going to be a part of history. Finding this time capsule in 100 years’ time will hopefully make people very happy.

“I really enjoyed the tour around North View – it looks more like a mansion than a hospital!”

Tony Warne, Chair at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust said:

“This really is a historic moment for North Manchester, as we preserve information and relics about and from our wonderful, diverse community. With everything from poems to artwork, photographs, videos and day-to-day items, our time capsule portrays a snapshot in time which captures the spirit of our people, mental health services, history and aspirations, for future generations to one day look back on. Who knows how different their lives may be.”

Garry Bowker, VINCI Building's Regional Managing Director, said: 

“Firstly, congratulations to the school pupils on their winning submissions to the Time Capsule Worksheet Competition, really exciting to think that their work will be uncovered by future generations. 

"The progress that is being made on site at North View is really impressive and we are looking forward to completion later this year so that service users, carers and staff can begin to benefit from this amazing facility. The project is already having a positive impact on the North Manchester community with significant local employment, training, education and community activities being provided to some of the most under privileged people. 

"Probably the most innovative social value achievement to date has been the creation of the on-site Community Skills Centre through which the first cohort of students have completed their training and from them, four young people have already found full time employment with our supply chain, which is life changing for them. We look forward to continuing to support the local North Manchester community.”

Work on North View, a 150-bedroom specialist mental health inpatient unit, started in August 2022 with the new unit anticipated to be built and operational by 2024.

The unit will help improve the region’s mental health services and make sure patients can access the care they need in an environment designed to enhance and aid therapeutic recovery.

This forms part of the government’s commitment to deliver over 70 major hospital upgrades, helping improve patient care and ultimately save more lives.

Once completed, the upgrade will see improvements to patient experience, with spacious single bedrooms, each with a private en-suite shower room, as well as a variety of indoor activity areas, meeting rooms for family visiting, multiple gardens, spaces for therapeutic artwork and a café.

It will house a purpose-built Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), an older adults ward, seven adult acute wards, and a treatment suite.

North View will be the first all-electric mental health unit in the country, which supports the NHS goal of becoming net zero; and will use energy efficient heat pump technology to provide heating, cooling and the generation of hot water. The building will also incorporate thermally efficient materials throughout, and solar panels to self-generate electricity.

This new development is part of an exciting vision for North Manchester General Hospital to improve health and wellbeing for local people over the next 10 to 15 years.

GMMH is working with its Principal Supply Chain Partner, Integrated Health Projects (the joint venture between VINCI Building and Sir Robert McAlpine) to deliver the project.

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