NEWS
Care closer to home for new mothers in North Wales
New and expectant mothers from North Wales needing specialist hospital care for severe mental health problems will be able to access treatment closer to home when a new mother and baby unit opens its doors next year. The unit, at the
Countess of Chester Hospital, will significantly reduce travel times for patients and families from across North Wales currently offered admission to specialist units in Manchester, Chorley, Birmingham, and Nottingham, and at the Uned Gobaith Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) in Swansea. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board says the eight-bedded facility will support new and expectant mothers in a therapeutic environment ‘purposefully designed for people experiencing maternal mental health difficulties’ – such as postnatal depression, psychosis, or a relapse of an existing mental health condition. It will meet Royal College of Psychiatrists best practice guidance, which suggests that MBUs should provide between six and eight beds, ‘to ensure a sustainable and high-quality service’. The Health Board has worked with partners in NHS England on a joint solution
that improves access for women in North Wales, Cheshire, and Merseyside. It says it is ‘taking a range of actions to strengthen Welsh language provision’ – including providing bilingual signage throughout, prioritising Welsh-speaking applicants in recruitment, and providing access to a Welsh language line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The plans include a nursery, sensory room, and multiple lounges to support quiet time and family visits, plus two garden areas and a walking pram loop, with families set to benefit from the access to green spaces on the edge of the Countess Country Park. Teresa Owen, Executive director
responsible for BCUHB’s Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, said: “Women from North Wales with lived experience of perinatal mental health difficulties have played a central role in shaping these plans, and we’re extremely grateful for their input.”
Streamlining fault-fixing process for critical medical equipment
Traka, a provider of ‘intelligent’ key and asset management solutions, has unveiled new technology that it says should help healthcare facilities ‘streamline the fault-fixing process for critical medical equipment’. Traka’s ‘Faulty Item Exchange’ locker (FIX) allows healthcare staff to deposit a faulty device, record the nature of the fault, and obtain a working device quickly, so that they can quickly return to patient care across large estates and multiple locations. Traka said: “With comprehensive status updates in real-time, users can be confident that when equipment develops
a fault, the system ensures it can be fixed promptly.” Traka Business Development Manager,
Ben Farrar, said: “In large healthcare settings, where quick response times and equipment availability are critical, managing and locating fault-fixing equipment efficiently can be a challenge. In designing FIX, we worked closely with our partners to understand requirements, and ensure we could deliver a solution that could resolve the issues faced. Authorised users can deposit a faulty device into an empty locker compartment and obtain a like-for-like spare device with minimal time or resource disruption.” Particularly effective over large
geographical areas, according to Traka, FIX lockers will especially benefit healthcare workers working remotely in community Trusts, where arranging appropriate IT support to repair and reissue a working device ‘can prove challenging’. FIX lockers eliminate the need to travel to the site of the immediate fault, instead issuing a new working device from a remote location.
8 AUGUST 2023 | THE NETWORK
Strong acoustic performance from ‘updated’ vinyl flooring
Forbo Flooring Systems says its ‘newly updated’ Allura Decibel Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) collection ‘not only looks the part’ for high-quality healthcare settings, and can stand up to use in such busy environments, but – with noise reduction increasingly important in key building standards – also offers excellent acoustic performance. Offering 19 dB impact sound
reduction, the collection is available in 49 contemporary colourways, split between two ranges – ‘woods’, and ‘stones and materials’. Forbo says the ‘woods’ range offers ‘a variety of beautiful wooden aesthetics that replicate their natural counterparts’, plus new designs, including Serene Oak, Ash, and Twine – ‘a unique and on-trend hybrid between wood, stone, and textile aesthetics, for a softer, more elegant take on modern wood’. The ‘stones and materials’ element sees
the introduction of striking new designs – such as Stromboli, a more mottled stone effect, and Emperador – with a marbled appearance. A new abstract tweed design, Scott, ‘provides a softer, almost textured aesthetic, as an alternative to some of the more industrial designs found within the stones and materials range’. Marketing Communications manager,
Karen Wilding, said: “We wanted to update our Allura Decibel collection to provide a ‘use anywhere’, high-quality acoustic LVT floorcovering in a range of designs that reflects modern trends.” Forbo says Allura Decibel is installed using tackifier, simplifying its removal for re-use or recycling at end of life. Produced in Europe based on ‘zero waste principles’, and using ‘100% green’ electricity, Allura is 100% phthalate-free, REACH-compliant, and contains recycled content. Its ‘excellent dimensional stability’ ensures safe and hygienic floors, with no dirt trapped in the seams, while its ‘superior embossed lacquering system’ reportedly guarantees long-lasting appearance retention, and improves stain and scratch resistance.
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