HEALTHCARE LIGHTING


potential, with readily connected sensors and wireless connectivity, and, while it is hard to predict the pace of transition, the integration of lighting with nurse call cause and effect will become more widely accepted, providing the benefits already cited. Similarly, the emergence of better understanding of the effects of lighting on patient wellbeing will lead to enhanced lighting schemes becoming the norm within a healthcare context.


Karen Bramman. Whitecroft’s standpoint


Karen Bramman is Healthcare director at Whitecroft Lighting, one of the UK’s largest manufacturers of commercial lighting, and a supplier of tailored lighting solutions for the healthcare sector. The company has integrated its lighting solutions with handset nurse call and nurse base staff controls for over 18 years. She said: “The ward environment is one of the most challenging areas to design from a lighting perspective. Lighting must accommodate a diverse range of clinical duties, including the provision of task- specific illuminance values, while still providing the greatest possible patient comfort. Striking the right balance between patient rest and recuperation, and hospital staff wellbeing and patient care performance, is paramount. “Most lighting in healthcare settings should function automatically with the use of timers, occupancy, or daylight sensors, but lighting within the ward is different. The patient should have control of their local environment, and the best ergonomic solution to that is the


integration of the patient lighting control with the nurse call handset.


Better control of light


“With the technology shift to LED lighting, we can now do so much more with light to enhance the patient experience. We can control the light better, and direct it to exactly where it needs to be. We are also able to deliver Human-Centric Lighting (HCL), which supports the human circadian rhythm, improves concentration, and improves overall patient wellbeing. We can, for example, vary the colour temperature of the light from a 3,000 K warm and cosy appearance, to a 6,000 K cool and bright appearance, mirroring the patterns of the natural world outside. We anticipate that this will be an evolving trend in the years to come.


“Another key future trend is the wider adoption of wireless remote control. Nurse call and lighting will remain closely integrated, but we will see a greater shift towards wireless remote control in the form of a dedicated handset or an ‘app’ downloadable to patients’ personal phones. These changes will give us the opportunity to create additional layers of sophistication. The simplest functionality must be presented in the most basic presentation first, but the app approach will allow users access to a greater level of functionality. For example, we can categorise the nurse call so that the attending nurse can come to the bedside prepared for the call, or we can set alternative lighting scenes to suit the user’s preference.”


View from Visualite


Visualite systems combine a light source with ‘a vast array of high-resolution bespoke visuals’ to create ‘a unique lighting effect and ambience’.


52 Health Estate Journal August 2019


Steve Nelson is Creator at Visualite, a specialist provider of clinical lighting solutions. Visualite’s illuminated systems use a ‘unique’ VTEC printed lens, powered by edge-lit LED lighting technology. Visualite is a partner of Static Systems, having provided the ceiling lights for the company’s four bed-bay in its Design & Innovation Centre in Wombourne in 2018. Its Visualite systems combine a light source with a vast array of high-resolution bespoke visuals to create what is said to be a unique lighting effect and ambience. As the systems use non-ferrous fittings, they are ideal for use in clinical settings.


Steve Nelson.


Steve Nelson said: “A healing environment promotes a feeling of wellbeing, and lighting can help to provide a welcoming and stimulating space. In busy waiting areas, where patients may be feeling anxious about blood tests or other investigations, lighting can enhance the area and create a positive ambience. In wards, we can create ceiling lights that give the impression of daylight shining down, forests, underwater scenes, starry night skies, or even iconic landscapes. Our aim is to use lighting to positively impact the ward environment, and, consequently, the patient experience in hospital. “Our Visualite panel drivers are integrated to Static Systems’ nurse call system using intelligent DALI protocol, which allows smooth and seamless dimming control of the Visualite lighting system above the patient’s bed. As a result, the patient can control the ambient sensory lighting within their clinical area, and set the lighting level to their own personal preference.”


hej


Matt Clutton


Matt Clutton joined Static Systems in 1994, and over the past 24 years has held various roles across the company’s systems engineering, support, and product design teams. In his current role as Mechanical Product Design manager, he is responsible for developing innovative mechanical design solutions across Static Systems’ nurse call, bedhead services trunking, and fire alarm disciplines. Among the products he has designed are Vistr Headwall, the Ventura horizontal trunking product range, the SmartFit enclosure for the company’s Aspire SmartSync wireless nurse call system, and the current nurse call handset design. He holds a degree in product design from Wolverhampton University, and is a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69