The Meadow Unit (PICU - Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit)

The Meadow Unit opened in 2023, creating a new ward space that will enable young people who are acutely unwell to receive specialist mental health care in a safe environment close to home. The care they receive will also be supplemented with recreational facilities and access to education to provide continuity with their lives at home. Patients will have access to professionally qualified staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week offering skilled mental and physical health care. There will be an interactive and sociable environment where everyday communication between young people and staff is encouraged.

How Oxford Health Charity is supporting the Meadow Unit

Oxford Health Charity and the team at the Meadow Unit initially worked together to identify how the spaces created within the unit could be further enhanced to make the most difference to the young people staying there. These enhancements aimed to boost the range of activities young people would be able to get involved with, enhancing their experience of being in the Unit and providing them with additional therapeutic spaces.

The plans were created with patients in mind and ideas were taken from existing projects already in place at the Highfield Unit (the adolescent mental health unit alongside the new PICU at the Warneford) or from young people involved with the services. At the outset, there were four main areas of support for our charity appeal:

• Gym – creating a separate gym room for the young people within the garden for them to exercise safely away from the main ward space.
• Sensory Room – creating a bespoke sensory space to give the young people time out – this was felt to be particularly important for young people with autism and other sensory related concerns.
• Garden – enhancing the green space with raised beds for gardening projects, garden activities and weather proof seating.
• Art – creating unique pieces of art with the young people at the PICU and the Highfield to be displayed in the unit and garden areas.

Alongside our appeal, a large amount of funding was given through donors and grants sought through the Estates team and initial arts projects and items of equipment were purchased.

Now that the PICU is open our Meadow Unit appeal continues to support the enhanced activities provision, enabling the programme to continue to grow and develop as the Unit, and the young people it cares for, identify new needs.

How can you get involved?

You can make a difference to young people experiencing serious mental ill health by getting involved – make a donation, donate a specific item for the garden, gym or sensory room, take part in a fundraising event or, if you work for a company who allow this, make the Meadow Unit your charity appeal of the year. Please get in touch with us at [email protected] to find out more.