Sturdee Community Hospital
Sturdee Community Hospital
Sturdee Community Hospital is a dedicated service in Leicester, committed to providing holistic, personalised care for women aged 18–65 who have complex mental health needs. With 31 beds across two locked rehabilitation wards and nine semi-independent flats, we offer a supportive and structured environment in which every individual can work towards their recovery goals.
Sturdee Community Hospital is more than a traditional inpatient setting—it is a dynamic environment where women with complex mental health needs can find renewed hope. By integrating clinical expertise, evidence-based psychological interventions, and a fervent commitment to patient empowerment, we strive to create a place in which each individual can rediscover a sense of purpose and direction.
Recovery is not merely about symptom relief. It involves forging meaningful connections, regaining confidence, acquiring practical skills, and establishing a healthy relationship with oneself and others.
At Sturdee, every stage of the journey—from Foxton Ward’s stabilisation focus to Rutland Ward’s step-down support, and from there to Aylestone’s semi-independent flats—is carefully structured to encourage incremental growth. The ultimate aim is that each woman leaves our care feeling capable, resilient, and ready to engage with the wider world on her own terms.
We believe that by offering safe, least restrictive care, grounded in compassion and clinical excellence, we can help transform lives. Through partnership with our multi-disciplinary teams, external agencies, and the women themselves, we continuously seek to refine our services in a manner that respects each individual’s story, fosters trust, and unlocks new possibilities for independence. Whether a patient is at the start of her treatment journey or is nearing the end, Sturdee Community Hospital stands as a beacon of hope, determination, and healing for women with complex mental health needs.
A Flexible, Holistic Service
At Sturdee Community Hospital, we support individuals with a broad range of diagnoses, including serious and enduring mental illness, personality disorder, co-morbidity, and a history of complex trauma. Our aim is to address the entire spectrum of needs—psychological, emotional, social, and physical—so that patients are empowered to develop skills for life outside the hospital. Through a carefully co-ordinated series of treatment options, patients can move from higher-dependency settings, where risks might be more acute, to less restrictive environments that challenge them to become more autonomous.
We understand that mental health recovery is rarely a straight line. Many of the women who come to Sturdee have experienced long-term difficulties and disruptions in their lives. To meet this challenge, our approach ensures that care remains flexible, with fluid transitions between wards as each patient’s risk profile, mental state, and goals evolve. Through consistent collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team (MDT), we gather in-depth assessments and feedback, ensuring that treatments are modified in real-time as patients progress or encounter fresh challenges.
Wards and Facilities
1. Rutland Ward – 15 Bed – Step Down Unit
Rutland Ward offers a 15-bed step-down unit where the focus is on supporting women who have made demonstrable progress in stabilising their mental health but still require a structured environment to consolidate recovery gains. This environment aims to promote further independence, helping patients transition towards either our semi-independent flats (Aylestone Apartments) or community-based services. Women on Rutland Ward often demonstrate a reduced level of risk but still benefit from ongoing therapeutic interventions to strengthen coping strategies and emotional regulation.
In addition to ongoing psychological and pharmacological interventions, the therapeutic work at Rutland Ward may include more exploratory sessions that allow each individual to reflect on and integrate past experiences. This integration is especially crucial for patients with histories of trauma, as it helps them consolidate earlier treatment gains. By adopting a person-centred approach, the staff on Rutland Ward strive to equip each woman with the skills needed to live more independently and productively, whether within Aylestone or beyond.
2. Foxton Ward – 7 bed – Stabilisation and Skills Acquisition
Foxton Ward is a 7-bed locked rehabilitation environment designed for women whose mental health risks to themselves—or occasionally to others—are more acute. Here, the objective is to create a firm foundation for recovery. Patients in Foxton Ward often require more assertive care strategies and closer supervision to ensure safety. This is not simply about containment but also about laying the groundwork for lasting progress through a comprehensive range of therapeutic options.
On Foxton Ward, interventions concentrate on stabilisation, encouraging the development of emotional regulation and daily living skills. Patients can expect regular clinical evaluations, psychological therapies, occupational therapy input, and recreational activities that encourage social engagement. This blend of therapeutic and social opportunities aids in reducing self-harm, managing symptoms of distress, and improving interpersonal effectiveness. Ultimately, Foxton Ward aims to help each woman gain the readiness and confidence to step down to a less restrictive setting, whether that is within Sturdee’s own continuum of care or external community placements.
3. Aylestone Apartments – Pathway to Semi-Independent Living
For those who have demonstrated sustained progress in managing mental health symptoms and reducing risk, Aylestone Apartments provides an invaluable bridge to the wider community. Comprising nine self-contained flats, this area of the hospital promotes independent living whilst still offering the safety net of on-site professional support. Each tenant has their own space, furnished to encourage a sense of autonomy, privacy, and ownership over personal environments.
Here, rehabilitation focuses on practical life skills that will enable individuals to live independently and thrive once they are fully discharged. Patients learn to navigate daily tasks such as budgeting, cooking, cleaning, and scheduling their own appointments. They also receive assistance in accessing community resources like libraries, gyms, vocational training, or employment services, thereby forging a robust support network outside the hospital. The emphasis in Aylestone is on incremental independence: patients are encouraged to make personal decisions about everyday matters, solving problems in a way that fosters self-efficacy and self-esteem.
Admission Criteria
The hospital’s admission criteria vary according to the specific aims of each ward. For Foxton Ward, priority is given to women presenting acute or chronic risk to themselves, or those at risk of aggression, provided that they are not likely to cause severe physical harm. This ensures that Foxton Ward can deliver the stabilisation and acute support required by women in crisis.
Rutland Ward’s primary focus, meanwhile, is on those who accept crisis intervention and have demonstrated a lower risk profile in recent months. Applicants should be free from incidents of significant harm to others or serious property damage within the last six months. For those seeking a place in Aylestone Apartments, eligibility requires the ability to manage self-harm and aggression safely, along with a stable mental state and adequate coping strategies. This ensures that residents can thrive in a more open setting with minimal intervention, whilst still having access to professional support when needed.
Our Treatment Pathway
Underpinning our approach at Sturdee is a flexible treatment pathway, aligned with best practice and guided by a comprehensive understanding of trauma recovery. This model is informed by the works of van der Kolk, Allen, and Hermann, focusing on key phases: Assessment, Stabilisation, Skills Acquisition, Processing and Integration, and finally Transition. At each stage, the hospital’s staff harness a variety of interventions, from evidence-based psychological therapies like DBT Skills, Schema Focused Therapy, and Mentalisation Based Treatment, to individual psychotherapy, medication management, and family interventions.
By employing the Recovery Star, an outcome-focused tool that encourages patients to chart their own goals and track their progress, we ensure that people remain active participants in their care. This collaborative ethos is reflected in all aspects of the treatment pathway, from the initial assessment and risk evaluation to ongoing reviews and eventual discharge planning.
Core Principles of Recovery
1. Patient Involvement
We believe that each individual should be closely involved in the development of her pathway. Through one-to-one consultations with named nurses, psychologists, or occupational therapists, each patient is encouraged to express her priorities and engage in collaborative formulation. This is further reinforced by the Care Programme Approach (CPA) process, where all relevant professionals and the patient come together to set goals, revisit treatment strategies, and celebrate milestones.
2. Least Restrictive Practice
The principle of least restrictive care is crucial to fostering genuine progress. Our risk management strategies are highly individualised, ensuring that while safety is paramount, patients are encouraged to exercise autonomy and practise decision-making in areas where it is clinically safe to do so. This balance allows for a more organic development of resilience, reducing the likelihood of relapse and promoting a sense of mastery.
3. Eclectic Treatments
Every woman admitted to Sturdee has access to a varied menu of therapies, each grounded in the latest research and NICE guidelines. Whether the main challenge is mood regulation, psychosis, past trauma, or interpersonal difficulties, we have experts trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Schema Therapy, and other modalities that address complex needs. Additionally, we offer offence-focused work, family interventions, substance misuse support, and social inclusion initiatives, ensuring that patients receive holistic, consistent care.
Multi-Disciplinary Expertise
A specially recruited multi-disciplinary team provides expert care at Sturdee. This team typically includes psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, and support staff, all working collaboratively to craft bespoke care plans. Diagnosis and ongoing interventions are based on robust assessments, which generate formulations that detail each patient’s personal history, risk profile, and clinical presentation.
Therapeutic groups help build peer support networks, often reducing feelings of isolation or shame. One-to-one sessions may delve deeper into personal experiences, helping individuals unpick negative thought patterns, develop healthier ways of relating to others, and learn coping strategies for managing distress. Our MDT is committed to ongoing professional development, ensuring that interventions reflect contemporary standards and keep pace with emerging best practices in mental healthcare.
Comprehensive Facilities to Enhance Wellbeing
Our facilities at Sturdee Community Hospital are designed to promote healing, reflection, and development. The on-site therapy kitchen encourages practical living skills, allowing women to plan, prepare, and share meals. This fosters social interaction, which can be particularly beneficial for those who have felt isolated by their mental health problems. The presence of a gym area supports physical fitness and overall wellbeing, encouraging healthy habits that often correlate with improved mental health outcomes.
A separate games room and wellbeing area provide dedicated spaces where individuals can unwind, engage in healthy recreational activities, and socialise. In addition, Sturdee boasts a spacious garden, equipped with outdoor seating, where patients can take advantage of fresh air and natural light. This sense of connection with nature can be profoundly therapeutic, aiding relaxation and grounding exercises, as well as offering a setting for supervised social gatherings or organised hospital events.
Building Independence through Education and Vocational Support
Recognising that recovery often hinges on equipping people with practical life skills and meaningful occupation, Sturdee Community Hospital fosters a culture of education and personal development. We work closely with local colleges to facilitate courses ranging from budgeting and cooking to languages, art, I.T., and computing. Many of our patients have completed or are currently undertaking courses that help them build confidence, competence, and transferable skills.
An equally important dimension of our approach is helping individuals find voluntary positions, work placements, or potentially move into paid employment. We maintain strong links with local supported employment organisations, which can offer guidance in CV writing, interview techniques, and job applications. Some individuals may also benefit from structured work schemes that serve as valuable stepping-stones to mainstream employment. By building a sense of purpose and self-reliance, patients often discover that their mental health improves in tandem with their social and vocational prospects.
Robust Support in the Community
As individuals approach discharge or step-down, Sturdee’s staff collaborate with community-based services, local housing options, and social care providers to establish a robust aftercare package. By ensuring that necessary supports are in place—whether that be ongoing therapy, medication management, or practical help with tenancy agreements—patients leave the hospital feeling more secure and prepared.
Our emphasis on social inclusion underpins these transitions. Where appropriate, individuals are encouraged to join community groups, clubs, or educational courses. This not only provides an immediate sense of belonging but also minimises the risk of relapse. The hope is that each person who leaves our care can integrate into the community, sustaining the coping strategies and emotional resilience built during their time at Sturdee.
Recovery Star Approach
Recovery Star, a person-centred tool that tracks progress across core life domains such as relationships, physical health, self-care, and personal safety is central to our approach. By regularly updating the star, patients and clinicians can visually measure improvements and identify areas that may need additional attention. This process is motivating, as individuals often find encouragement in seeing their personal growth mapped over time.
Moreover, the Recovery Star ensures that goal-setting remains realistic and collaborative. Each target is SMART—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound—thus ensuring clarity and shared ownership of the care plan. This system further enables the multi-disciplinary team to provide seamless support, with different professionals able to check on progress, adapt interventions, and offer tailored guidance in alignment with each patient’s evolving ambitions.
Duration of Care and Long-Term Outcomes
Sturdee Community Hospital focuses on short- to medium-term care pathways, ranging roughly from nine months to two years, though individual needs ultimately dictate the pace of progress. For women coming from Foxton Ward, where risks are more acute, it may take additional time to stabilise before moving on to Rutland Ward or Aylestone Apartments. Others may find that they can transition more swiftly, especially if they arrive with a robust history of engagement in mental health services and a well-established support network.
Throughout the admission period, frequent reviews ensure that evolving treatment needs are captured. This might involve altering medication regimens, introducing new therapeutic interventions, or gradually increasing levels of unescorted community access. By the time discharge is on the horizon, most patients have a clearer sense of their personal goals and a tried-and-tested toolkit of coping strategies. It is these foundations that help ensure lasting recovery upon re-entering the community.
Commitment to Continuous Development
The Sturdee team is constantly refining its practices by monitoring clinical outcomes, patient feedback, and the latest research in trauma recovery and rehabilitative approaches. Staff are encouraged to attend professional conferences, partake in advanced training courses, and contribute to the evidence base themselves. This institutional commitment to learning mirrors our broader dedication to helping patients evolve, grow, and ultimately regain a fulfilling life beyond hospital care.
Patient engagement in shaping our services is equally crucial. We hold regular community meetings where women can voice concerns, suggest improvements, or identify gaps in provision. Formal surveys and satisfaction questionnaires also offer a structured mechanism for gathering input, helping us adapt quickly to emergent needs and ensure that our care delivery remains both effective and compassionate.