AN UPGRADED care unit for youngsters in York with serious mental health problems will be opened by clinical psychologist and TV broadcaster Tanya Byron.

Dr Byron, a former University of York student, has already welcomed the new facility, which will provide beds for 11 children experiencing severe psychiatric, psychological or emotional problems.

The North Yorkshire And York Primary Care Trust (PCT) used Government funds of £500,000, earmarked specifically for adolescent mental health services, to pay for the upgrade of Lime Trees, in Shipton Road.

The cash-strapped PCT said no funds were taken away from other patients' health needs.

Geraldine Casswell, a consultant clinical psychologist, said: "There are not many beds for adolescents in units like this in North Yorkshire, so we are really delighted to have this provision for 11 young people with complex mental health problems.

"We now have disabled access, single-occupancy rooms, a family room, and we've been able to upgrade our dining room."

Lime Trees offers admission to young people whose mental health problems interfere with their educational, interpersonal and social functioning. It is currently full, with a waiting list.

A PCT spokesman said the unit aimed to provide a supportive, therapeutic environment in which young people and their families were closely involved in treatment programmes.

Most bedrooms will now be single occupancy, with more privacy for children and adolescents. The unit also has a school, with two fully-equipped classrooms, internet access, textbooks and facilities to enable students to pursue their own research for school topics.

The Press revealed details of the Lime Trees upgrade in October 2005, when the £500,000 cash boost was first announced.

Dr Bryon has appeared on TV shows including Little Angels, Teen Angels, House Of Tiny Tearaways, Panorama and How To Improve Your Memory. She did her initial degree in psychology at the University of York.

On Monday she will plant a tree at the unit, and give a speech entitled "Why it's good to have this facility".