Tracey Sopp, the Managing Director of NTW Solutions, visited the Estates Department at Carleton Clinic to see firsthand the work being done to transform the estate. NTW Solutions have taken over the management of the estate and is addressing a backlog of maintenance, developing compliance systems and assurance controls, and professionalising the system by moving maintenance plans from a paper-based system to our established digital platform.
Tracey visited Rowanwood Ward, which has recently been refurbished by the Estates Team and various contractors. The ward has been transformed both inside and out, including repairs to the timber cladding on the building’s exterior. The transformation was so thorough that a contractor on site recently thought the building was brand new. Inside, the building has been completely redecorated, creating a bright and pleasant environment with new furniture.


To avoid a more complex move of patients that would have been needed for longer works, the job was completed in just four weeks. Tracey heard that it felt very much like an episode of Changing Rooms, with contractors and workers vying for space as floors were laid while walls were being painted at the same time. She saw how refurbishment incorporated patient feedback on colours and decoration, building on our expertise in maintaining mental health environments.
Some maintenance jobs were being done for the first time ever such as washing the rubber safety floor in the courtyards, which was thick with dirt. Despite having a jet wash, these floors are quite tricky to clean and were meticulously cleaned inch by inch over a long period. Additionally, a capital scheme is taking place at Rowanwood, and the estates team ensured that the refurbishment matched the specifications so that the building will feel unified once completed. Tracey also chatted with some of the clinical staff on site, who praised the bright new environment.
On her way to Rowanwood, Tracey also visited the newly planted areas at Carleton Clinic, where she learned about the planting of a wildflower meadow, with 50,000 bulbs and hundreds of thousands of seeds having been planted.
NTW Solutions manages the estate at Carleton Clinic for Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust which provides clinical services on the site.
