MENTAL health services on Teesside are to receive a massive cash injection to significantly improve facilities, health officials have confirmed.

Nearly £80m will be spent by the Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust during the biggest single investment of its kind in health services in the area.

Projects in the Advance scheme include replacing Middlesbrough's 106-year-old St Luke's Hospital with a number of new specialist units and a £2m unit for older people's mental health services in Stockton.

Also included in the multi-million pound proposals are plans to switch adult and older people's mental health services from the University Hospital of Hartlepool to a new £5m unit in the town.

Five primary care trusts were involved in the consultation about the plans earlier this year, which highlighted a number of areas that the trust is now working on, including improving support for carers and ensuring ample free parking for staff and visitors.

Moira Britton, chief executive of the Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust, said: "This represents the single-biggest investment in local mental health and learning disability services many of us will ever see, so it is important we get it right.

"Listening to the views of our staff, service users, carers, local people and partner organisations is vital to ensure that we have the best possible buildings in which to provide the modern services local people deserve.

"We had a tremendous response to the consultation process. The views will help to shape the future of local mental health and learning disability services. But the listening doesn't stop here - we'll go on asking people for their opinions as plans develop."

Since the formal consultation ended the trust has invited staff and carers to comment on two mock-up en-suite bedrooms based on designs for the new units.

It has also held a design workshop for people to give their views on the replacement of St Luke's Hospital, as well as meeting residents around the Marton Road site in Middlesbrough.

Details of the consultation are available on the website www.peoplelikeus.nhs.u