HOSPITAL DESIGN
White Arkitekter created a rooftop garden at the Minneshälsan memory clinic, which is affiliated with Skåne University Hospital in central Malmö.
placed under significant emotional and physical strain, and require some other, more specific features and considerations. The following are key features that could have a big impact, based on studies undertaken so far: n Outdoor space: Garden breaks for hospital staff have been found to be significantly more impactful for reducing sadness and stress than indoor breaks.
n Resilience rooms: ‘Wobble rooms’ have been found to reduce emotional distress in users by up to 50%. However, they were found to be least impactful for staff who already self-reported the highest levels of burn-out, suggesting that early intervention is required.
n Visual privacy: While having facilities on or near a ward/department is beneficial for access, ensuring visual privacy from patients and their families is vital to prevent pressure to return to work too quickly and not take the full deserved break.
n Acoustic privacy: Acoustic design is important to prevent the intrusion of departmental noise and hinder the ability to properly escape and switch off. ‘Switching off’ has been found to benefit staff health, and lower fatigue levels and emotional exhaustion, while high noise levels have been shown to negatively impact healthcare staff stress and satisfaction across multiple studies.
n Soft furnishings: Comfortable and non-institutional furnishings to provide a sense of home enable a complete escape and mental break from the pressures of the job.
n Facilities for food preparation and eating should be provided proportional to the number of staff using the space.
Incorporating these (sometimes fundamental) elements can reduce staff stress, sickness, and turnover, while improving retention. In addition to improving the wellbeing of NHS workers, there is also an argument that
implementing these interventions will have benefits for patients. Research conducted by the NHS in 2016 found that staff pressure, stress, and satisfaction (among other things) are predictors of overall patient satisfaction. So, while it is understandable and even
admirable that patient care and wellbeing have historically been the priority, when thinking about the built environment, it is equally important to invest in staff areas to support their wellbeing.
Examples from Sweden Healthcare staffing shortages are not an issue unique to the UK. The WHO estimates a projected shortfall of 10 million health workers by 2030, and emphasises that countries at all socioeconomic levels face difficulties. Sweden is no exception. Official data reports that there are nursing shortages across 80% of the healthcare sector.
My Scandinavian colleagues report
that staff wellbeing in the workplace is taken very seriously, and carefully addressed in most healthcare projects. This is due to Health Regions (equivalent of NHS Trusts) being aware of the huge challenge they face with regard to staffing, especially in more remote regions, and that workplace design can form part of the solution. Meanwhile, most regions are also struggling with financial issues; the ROI is always at the forefront of design decisions. In this context, architects at White
undergo extensive co-design processes with users to ensure that staff, as well as patient, needs are taken care of. The following examples from across Sweden demonstrate how staff spaces have been considered and designed in contemporary healthcare settings.
Huddinge extension The Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, is a 30,000 m2
Relaxation and break facilities for staff at the Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital in Gothenburg.
58 Health Estate Journal May 2024
extension
comprising 23 operating theatres, eight interventional rooms, and a new imaging department, as well as an 8,000 m2
Jan Töve
Johan Bävman
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