NEWS COVER STORY
A healing design combines aesthetics and purpose NETWORK
A welcoming and aesthetically pleasing environment plays a crucial role in supporting service-user well-being.
Specifically in mental health facilities, the significance of aesthetics cannot be underestimated. They can directly impact the emotional state and overall experience of individuals receiving treatment and care. Service-users can experience heightened vulnerability, and a home-like environment can provide a sense of security and familiarity. Comfortable furniture, cosy lounges, soft textiles, and calming wallcoverings, can all help make service-users feel at ease.
Journal of the Design in Mental Health Network
Eating disorder unit’s tranquil setting Awards celebrate ‘drive to make things better’
A patient standpoint on the PICU experience August 2023
www.dimhn.org FC NET
Aug23.indd 1
Yet with safety key, the discreet incorporation of products specially designed for mental health environments can significantly enhance safety and security without compromising aesthetics. Intastop is an expert in designing products that perform crucial ligature reduction while also considering the needs and experiences of service-users. From doortop alarms
27/07/2023 14:30
com/5cv4mxd6 To see some of Intastop’s products, arrange a free consultation with its team via:
https://tinyurl.com/5ed4zm7e
Intastop Ltd, Unit 12 Data Drive,
South Kirkby Business Park, Pontefract, WF9 3FD T: 01302 364666 E:
sales@intastop.com
www.intastop.com
Mental health bedroom ‘sets new bar’ for the future
Offsite healthcare construction specialist, Darwin Group, officially showcased at June’s Design in Mental Health 2023 event ‘a pioneering modular mental health bedroom that sets a new bar’. The conceptual bedroom
took just three months to design and create, with the project – dubbed Bedroom Evolved – seeing Darwin Group collaborate with Safehinge Primera, with support from specialist architects and suppliers. With an overall area of 32.19 m2
, the bedroom with
en-suite bathroom has ligature reduction fixtures and fittings, and an ‘innovative’ anti-barricade, ligature reduction, Safehinge Primera door. Darwin says the idea came
from the recognition that the NHS not only needs a high-quality, cost-effective solution deployable at speed, but also one that provides a calming, serene place to improve
people’s chances of responding successfully to treatment. Safety features include ligature reduction
fixtures and fittings, while the locking system – with one key fitting all doors, windows, and cupboards – negates the need for staff to carry multiple keys. Darwin said: “Thanks to the Modern Methods of Construction used, the facility is designed to last a minimum of 60 years, with wall structures that exceed the ‘Severe Duty’ rating for hard and soft body impact.” Attention was also paid to the exterior
space, with a large window overlooking a soothing garden to give patients a calm, meaningful connection to nature. Darwin Group CEO, Richard Pierce, added: “We firmly believe our Bedroom Evolved could make a significant positive impact to the care and support offered to mental health patients, and, thanks to its offsite construction, it can be deployed immediately and at speed. The new bedroom not only pushes boundaries in terms of quality and innovation, but also offers a glimpse of the future of modular mental health construction.”
Thermal imaging sensor for ‘wandering’ patients
Intercall says its Safeguard for Dementia system uses thermal imaging technology to ‘discreetly enable independence and privacy, while removing the risk of inherent false alarms and trip hazards’. The Safeguard Sensor monitors the
patient environment to alert staff of wandering residents, with the system configurable to automatically illuminate a light in the resident’s room to reduce injury risk. Intercall says ‘traditional detection methods’ for such environments have been based on pressure mats and low- level infrared detectors, but when safely positioned above the bed, the Safeguard sensor eliminates both infection risk
THE NETWORK | AUGUST 2023
and the need to dispose of mats regularly hygienically, while a lack of cables reduces trip hazards. Intercall explained: “The Safeguard Point
controls the monitoring functions within a bedroom. Its sleek wall-mounted design allows positioning either side of a bedroom door for simple staff operation. The control buttons are operated by authorised staff with an Intercall Care Card or Token. Staff movement and actions are captured on the Intercall data log system, allowing full accountability and reporting.” The Safeguard sensor is adjustable to
detect activity within a pre-defined area, is installable on the Intercall bus network
to removable doorstops, continuous hinges, and vision panels, all have been designed to prioritise patient safety without appearing overtly clinical. See
https://tinyurl.com/2p8uead8/ An excellent example of blending safety and aesthetics is the use of Intastop products in a wood- effect finish, as within adult mental health inpatient facilities operated by Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH). This approach not only minimises potential ligature points, and gives quick and easy access to rooms when needed, but also adds a touch of warmth and elegance to the overall environment. See https://tinyurl.
– either as either part of a standalone Safeguard system, or integrated into the Intercall Touch nurse call system, and residents can adjust their sleeping position without the risk of generating an alarm.
5
THE
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
