Hardware design/installation
“With our background in product design engineering, we have an understanding of ‘lean manufacturing’ principles, and we apply this throughout our design, testing, and installation processes”
timber, providing a secure and solid fixing, and preventing the breakout of ironmongery from the frame if repeatedly abused. Doorsets can also be enhanced with a number of other fully- tested products, all designed to speed up installation and reduce on-site issues. These include SWIFTstop, which provides rapid anti-barricade access and removes the top corner unsupervised ligature risk created by traditional hinged doorstops; and SUREclose, a concealed door closer that provides an internal braking function to control the opening force of the door, reducing the risk of damage and harm when a door is kicked or slammed. Anti-ligature washers also remove any unsupervised ligature points.
LISTENING TO THE CLIENT Most of Safehinge’s leading products have resulted from listening to clients’ problems experienced within mental healthcare buildings, and from spending lots of time on site, seeing how other door types have failed.
About the author
Philip Ross, commercial director at Safehinge, set up the company with business partner Martin Izod in 2007. With a background in product design engineering at the Glasgow School of Art, he worked for design
businesses internationally before returning to the UK to launch Safehinge. Safehinge is ‘a door hardware design company with a passion for creating products that make peoples’ lives better’. Operating in the education and mental health sectors, the company says it ‘solves problems relating to doors that have stumped other hardware companies for years’.
Reportedly now working with ‘75 per cent of local education authorities’, Safehinge entered the mental healthcare sector in 2013 with its Symphony doorset range. The company says Symphony ‘has been rapidly adopted by Trusts across the UK, and become known for setting new standards in safety and aesthetics’. In 2014, the Symphony range was
awarded ‘Product Innovation of the Year’ at the Design in Mental Health Network Awards, and ‘Best Product for Improving the Patient Experience’ at the Building Better Healthcare Awards. Philip Ross takes an active role in enhancing service-user recovery through product development, and volunteers as a member of the Design In Mental Health Network board.
26 THE NETWORK OCTOBER 2016
At this year’s Design in Mental Health exhibition we showcased two new products that have come about as a direct result of our thorough design and testing regime – the Symphony doorset with either Passport or Lifeline access controls, switchable glass and SWIFTstop.
The Passport door, for example, is a tamper-
resistant model that uses a swipe card or key fob rather than keys. Staff can open doors in just two seconds and, as the system is wireless, it can be easily retrofitted into existing environments. It also does away with the noise of jangling keys, making statutory observations on mental healthcare patients much less disruptive – particularly at night when people are trying to sleep.
Lifeline is another innovation which enhances
ward security by preventing locks being blocked by foreign objects. Jeremy Young explains: “With our background in product design engineering, we have an understanding of ‘lean manufacturing’ principles, and we apply this throughout our design, testing, and installation processes.
“Most of the information about product development and how to minimise the ward disruption during installation comes from our sales teams. Our team learns about the flaws with current solutions by listening carefully to customers, and actively seeking feedback about what and how we can improve. This ‘voice of the customer’ method is something we are very passionate about, and it is what ensures that there is a demand for the products we develop. Ultimately, it’s about creating products that solve actual problems.
WORKING FROM ‘FIRST PRINCIPLES’ “We work from first principles. For example, we consider how can we help staff get quicker and safer emergency access, rather than how can we improve the existing hinged stop. We listen to customers and understand their world, and only then sit down and generate concepts. We provide the sales teams with prototypes for our customers to provide further feedback on, plus we actively seek feedback from installers to make sure that the products we supply can be installed within the realities of the built environment. It’s this constant feedback loop
With minimal visible fixings, timber effect beading, and an attractive graphic, this vision panel ‘reduces the institutionalism of traditional observation panels’.
which allows us to pick up challenges which may result during installation, and gives us the information to solve them. “When products are ready, we don’t just send them out. Instead, we put a lot of effort into training those who will install our products and closely following them, offering guidance and ongoing education, which leads to faster and more accurate installation.” During the Mersey Care scheme our switchable glass vision panel products were specified. Silently operated, they enable staff members to silently and discretely observe service-users, improving the experience, and reducing anxiety and stress. Commenting on the project, Anthony Crumpton, head of safety and security at the Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “For us we were looking to standardise the level of fit that we had with a product that was sustainable – both in terms of cost and safety features – and that also met fire regulations.
UNDERSTANDING CAPABILITIES “Using a metal frame, and having a single leaf, means we get a safe and robust solution to replacing our doors. I saw the single-leaf door on Safehinge’s stand at the Design in Mental Health exhibition in 2015, and thought the idea was really good, particularly in terms of anti- barricade. We were also really interested in the switchable glass option. We want to know what products can and cannot do; that is really important. “There’s a feeling that once you have made a room ‘anti-ligature’ then it’s fine, but a room is
Safehinge carries out more than 12 rigorous mechanical and abuse tests on its products, plus fire and acoustic testing. Pictured left is the vision panel attack, while shown right is the leg press test ,which tests whether the anti-barricade stop can be prevented from working by exerting pressure on the door.
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