News
Recovery-centred care at Wellesley House
A new low secure mental healthcare facility just outside Wellington near Taunton is now complete, say the architects, P+HS, who have been working closely with developer, Montpelier Estates, to deliver Wellesley Hospital, which will provide ‘high quality, recovery-centred care’ for a range of users. P+HS said: “Lying within a generous site, the development comprises four main blocks configured to form an enclosed 75-bed complex over five wards. The main hospital entrance, along with reception, administration, and recreation spaces, such as a café, gym, and sports hall, are located together in Block A, while the remaining three blocks provide ward
provision, with lounges, informal seating, and games such as pool. There are also dedicated outdoor space, Activities for Daily Living rooms, and dining areas. Anti-ligature measures are ‘subtle’, and the environment light and uplifting, with the opportunity for a range of therapeutic activities – including woodworking, arts and crafts, and horticulture.”
accommodation. Sub-wards are arranged in 7/8-bed clusters, allowing flexibility to cater for variations in the service-user cohort. “Each ward has generous social/leisure
Hidden activation and steel construction
Designed to contribute to a therapeutic environment ‘with safety, security, and recovery in mind’, the Skytech Lite healthcare window from Pensher Skytech incorporates a frameless sliding vent, increasing access to natural light without compromising its anti-ligature attributes. The Skytech Lite is of robust steel construction with thermally insulated thinner steel profiles and a stainless steel mesh panel. Hidden activation locking and a smooth gliding control system allow the window vent locks to be secured in any position. Derek Quinn, technical manager, said: “Incorporating steel rather than aluminium profiles, the window is produced using a welding process which sees the finished product have no mechanical joints.”
Pensher Skytech has traditionally Funding success for autism-related project
The University of Cumbria has received £70,000 in funding from the CRH Charitable Trust towards ‘a unique research project’ which will investigate the issues of autism and the criminal justice system.
As part of the project, the university will work with ‘Cumbria Reducing Offending Partnership Trust’ (CROPT) and its ‘Triple A – All About Autism’ project. The two organisations’ two-year research initiative will ‘seek to change clinical practice within Cumbria, receive national recognition via publication of any findings, and lay foundations for more formalised means of support’. The project uniquely combines the university’s academic and educational experience with CROPT’s knowledge of autism community needs. Initially, the research will focus on ‘identifying barriers within the criminal justice system faced by people with autism, and which interventions are helpful or should be avoided in supporting people
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with the condition’. The University said: “The research will go on to form the basis for informed interventions that aim to reduce the number of individuals on the autism spectrum coming into destructive, avoidable, and unnecessary conflict with figures of authority.” There are currently around 700,000 people UK-wide on the autism spectrum; including their families, this means around 2.8 million individuals experience the condition daily. The National Autistic Society has already highlighted the high risk of autistic people coming into contact with the criminal justice system.
Louise Nelson.
Dr Louise Nelson, head of Nursing, Health and Professional Practice at the University of Cumbria, said: “We are delighted to be working with our partners in supporting this research, looking at identifying barriers within the criminal justice system faced by people with autism. It adds value for us, particularly to our learning disability and autism programmes.”
specialised in designing and manufacturing bespoke, high specification blast-resistant doors and windows, but recently entered the healthcare sector with two anti-ligature windows, the Skytech Blue and Skytech Lite. The Skytech Lite is reportedly suitable for inpatient mental healthcare use in low, medium, and high security facilities, CAMHS units, complex care and dementia services, and young offender establishments.
P+HS says the new hospital – which has been built by BAM – should create over 220 local jobs, and will ‘help alleviate the acute shortage of secure accommodation in the South West, so that vulnerable people will no longer have to travel long distances away from local support to access the specialist care they need’.
Hybrid lighting solution unveiled
Specialist in low energy, low carbon solutions, Monodraught, and manufacturer of ‘smart’ LED lighting, Photonstar, have collaborated to launch a hybrid lighting development, Sunpipe LuxLoop, which they say maximises the benefits of the former’s Sunpipe and the latter’s LuxLoop systems. Hybrid lighting solutions are produced via a combination of four technologies: collecting natural light, generating artificial light, transporting and distributing light to where it is needed, and continuously controlling the amounts of both natural and artificial light.
During daylight, the Sunpipe collects ‘healthy natural light’ with its patented high-impact acrylic diamond dome, directs it through a MICRO-SILVER mirror-finished aluminium tube, and distributes it evenly through the ceiling diffuser. The system is complemented by Photonstar’s advanced LuxLoop LED system, and ‘intelligently managed’ by the Halcyon wireless control system. Monodraught said: “The integration of Sunpipe increases the life of the LEDs, and leads to fewer replacements. Sunpipe is proven and tested to maintain its performance over long periods. The quadruple-glazed system minimises heat- loss gain and achieves high thermal performance, resulting in a complete, ultra-low energy lighting system suitable for any location, with guaranteed lighting performance, and an expected 50,000 to 100,000-hour lifetime.”
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