Campaigners have criticised a proposed £45m revamp of Norfolk's main mental health hospital and called for the resignation of the head of the trust behind the scheme.
Members of the group, the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk, say the proposed redevelopment of Hellesdon Hospital is too small and will not include enough beds to cater for demand in the region.
They have urged Stuart Richardson - chief executive of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) - to step down from the role over what they consider to be a botched project.
Details over the major refurbishment - including images of how it could look - emerged this week.
But the plans have been attacked by the campaigners, who say they are are too limited.
Outline planning permission for the project - to be known as the River Centre - has been approved and a draft business plan agreed by NHS England.
The scheme will see three new wards built - two fewer than initially planned - with refurbishments of existing parts of the site set to increase its bed capacity to 80.
The project initially had looked to build five new wards but this was later redesigned after it emerged this would not be possible within the project's budget.
Mr Richardson previously said the development of a new adult acute unit would enable the trust to "deliver significant improvements to the care and experience" it is able to offer to service users, and will provide an additional 15 beds to what it currently has.
But campaigners have been left angered by the "cut in the number of beds planned", saying bed shortages have been "a constant sore since the disastrous radical redesign drastically cut the number of beds at NSFT in 2014".
They also claim the lack of beds has "led to deaths and much distress for patients and their families".
A campaign spokesperson said: "To spend that amount of money and only increase the number of beds by 15 is a disgrace.
"These plans will institutionalise the transportation of patients to private hospitals outside the trust – a practice they promised to end in 2014 and again by 2017, but which continues to this day.
"They have failed to end out of area placements which we believe are a breach of patient’s human rights - we can’t be routinely sending people in severe mental distress hundreds of miles from home and loved ones after investing £45m and not achieving the number of beds needed to meet local need."
The statement added: "NSFT continues to fail its patients and service users and these plans will see that failure continuing way into the future. That is why we are calling on Stuart Richardson to resign or be sacked.”
In a report to the trust's board, programme manager Matt Wilson wrote that the trust "had to accept a compromise of including the refurbishment of two existing ward environments, rather than the additional new build", adding that the final concept design "delivers on the required 80 beds" identified in 2018.
An NSFT spokesperson said: “We’re delighted with the progress of our new wards project at Hellesdon Hospital. Working with service users, their carers and staff has resulted in a solution that provides value for money, a sense of community and enables us to significantly improve inpatient services.
“Service user feedback has led the design decisions. We've included a fresh cook kitchen, a gym, cafe, additional activity rooms and extensive landscaping in the designs as direct result of their feedback.
“Our aim is to create an environment which is comfortable, welcoming, and helps service users to feel safe. The trust will also benefit from an extra 15 beds.”
The trust is aiming for the full business case to be submitted to NHS England and NHS Improvement in September 2022.
People who have experience of its inpatient wards are being invited to get involved in this project further. For more information visit www.nsft.nhs.uk/NewWards
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