A new 27-bed mental health hospital is set to welcome its first patients in the new year.

Mundesley Hospital has been approved by watchdog body the Care Quality Commission.

Co-owner Elijah Adeyemi said the private hospital had been developed in close consultation with clinical commissioning groups and he expected the first patients to be referred soon after the visit.

Mr Adeyemi, 52, and his business partner Leigh Allison have invested heavily in transforming the former Diana Princess of Wales Treatment Centre which they took on 18 months ago. All the rooms are now en suite.

The project was the inspiration of Mr Allison, a civil engineer from Wymondham, who suffered a breakdown and needed hospital treatment about 15 years ago, when he was 29.

His experience led him to want to improve the care of mental health patients.

The new hospital had so far created about 20 jobs for people in the local area, according to Mr Adeyemi.

They were also working closely with accommodation providers in Mundesley so that families wanting to visit patients could stay nearby.

The hospital, set in 18 acres of land and woodland, will care for adults aged 18-65 with conditions such as acute anxiety and depression.

Mr Adeyemi said it would ease pressure on mental health beds in the county.

He added: 'We will be patient-centred. This is not going to be an institution. We are very passionate about making sure we understand the needs of the people who come here.

'It's not about saying: 'This is what you've got and this is how we're going to treat it'.

'We will learn through them, build a relationship and work together on a co-produced care plan.'