The imposing façade of Bootham Park Hospital in York, shrouded behind builder's plastic during repairs to the roof (above), and (below) as it more usually appears. Bootham Park is the oldest purpose-built psychiatric hospital in England which is still used for its original purpose, providing 21st-century services in an 18th-century building.

Although the times and terminology (right) may have changed – until 1904 the building was called the York Lunatic Asylum – the need for skilled and compassionate care and treatment for people with mental illness remains the same.

Jeff Clarke is a consultant Old Age Psychiatrist in Selby and York, North Yorkshire, UK.