INPATIENT FACILITY DESIGN
A colourful Boden Rocker beanbag, from Pineapple, adds a sense of comfort. Hygenius units feature useful storage cubbies, and there is a window seat featuring a Safevent window with integral blinds, by Britplas. Also shown is part of the en-suite bathroom, with Kingsway’s new Shower door. The room layout means the inpatient can be safely stood, unseen, in the shower, maintaining their privacy, but still easily talk to a staff member, while Kingsway’s new anti-ligature Shower door is ‘so strong that it will withstand considerable force’. Inset: Above the bed – supplied with a heavy base by Hygenius, but with a comfortable feel and in its own recessed space – is an illuminated pattern of stars.
Back to the new CAMHS bedroom,
which features all of these new products, and Mark Childs explained that the previous day’s first open day to showcase the facility saw about 35 people attend – including mental healthcare Trust personnel, architects, experts by experience, and suppliers. Robin Graham, a director at Gilling Dod, presented on the background to the project and the development process. Mark Childs said: “We stressed that this was absolutely ‘not a ta da moment’. Rather, we needed attendees’ feedback. The CAMHS co- production bedroom is a living project, and all the partners have come into it with that spirit. Our aim is to present an updated version at next year’s Design in Mental Health exhibition – once we have some evidence around the bedroom and further feedback.” As Mark Childs took me to see the new
facility, he showed me some storyboards on the way which highlight the key development stages. He explained: “April 2023 saw Andrew, Kevin, and I properly sit down and get the project going, although we had had prior conversations. We then established a dedicated Design Review Panel for the project, involving NHS clinical, estates, and expert by experience personnel.”
Expert-by-experience views He continued: “We asked panel members to explain some of the key challenges in CAMHS facilities, and service-users particularly about what elements make them happy, and ones that don’t. We had architects in the room, who tend to focus on big design features, but those with lived experience said: ‘That’s all well and good, but what about dignity and self-respect? Please address those first,
but absolutely make sure, for example, that I have somewhere I don’t have to bend down all the time and have all my stuff on the floor due to lack of storage space.’ We thus begun the development process, and said to each other early on: ‘Look, we need to do more.’ Andrew has worked with Caudwell Children’s before, so he, his colleague, Abbey Donnelly, and I attended a family open day at Caudwell, meeting young people and their families. We held a workshop, with items like Lego, felt, and pens and paper, and asked the young participants: ‘What does a perfect bedroom look like for someone with autism?’, and, ‘If you were going to stay in such a facility, what would you need to make you feel safe and secure?’ A fascinating day, and many of my preconceptions went straight out of the window. We really wanted to ensure we captured the essence of what’s important – because we know lots of young people in CAMHS facilities are also neurodiverse.” Following the initial discussions and
visit to Caudwell Children, Gilling Dod and the team put together some outline plans, and mocked up sketches. Mark Childs explained: “It would have been very easy at that point just to say: ‘Right, OK, let’s, go.’ Instead, we went back to the experts by experience and asked for their impressions, before tweaking the design. That led to ‘sign-off’, and early this year we started the build – and here is the bedroom, in front of you.” A large sign above the entrance lists all the suppliers to have so far played a part. It was now time to look inside, but
before we entered Mark Childs highlighted the door. He said: “Return to the project’s guiding principles, and among the fundamentals for such a space are good sleep and rest, and giving some ownership
The CAMHS bedroom has been designed with the aim of improving such spaces across the mental healthcare sphere, and particularly to make them less institutional, more therapeutic, and as much of a ‘home from home’ as possible for the young users, while affording them a space where they will feel comfortable and safe, and have a sense of ‘ownership’
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back to the user. Some service-users may be in a mental healthcare facility for up to two years, so we wanted to ensure that both on the door, and inside the room, we were doing the latter. One way we achieved this was by adding a whiteboard to the front of the door so they can draw on and personalise it.”
‘Very different’ vision panel design Mark Childs next pointed out the circular Eclipse vison panel, which he stressed is ‘very different’, and ‘de-institutionalised’. The Kingsway Swing door, meanwhile, has an anti-ligature design and anti-barricade hinge, but with the use of a coloured vinyl sheet covering affords ‘a softer feel’. Mark Childs said: “The hinge no longer feels like a target for abuse, and blends in, rather than being obtrusive. Touch it, and it feels warmer than the usual metal surround. It also has a coated kickplate with a softer feel, and by applying the same material to an alarm – if you wanted to fit one – you could achieve a similar effect.” The Eclipse vision panel uses a film
technology to change from opaque to clear. Nursing and clinical staff thus have a clear line of sight at the push of a button, but also – via their own control mechanism on the room side – service-users can close the panel when they want privacy. An extremely quiet open / close mechanism allows staff observation at night without disturbing the patient. The reduced ligature handle is designed to be equally easy to use no matter what the user’s hand size.
Entering the bedroom, the first element Mark Childs showed me was a change in flooring a metre or so inside, with clear delineation of space, so it is implicit that beyond the line is the service-user’s space, and that staff will not go beyond it unless invited. He added: “Clearly, if the inpatient is self-harming or otherwise in danger they will do, but otherwise the space beyond the line is the user’s – handing them back some power, respect, and control.” He added: “One of the other key
things to emerge in discussions with service-users was the desire to have some control over their lighting.” Above the bed (supplied with a heavy base by Hygenius, but with a comfortable feel and in its own recessed space), was an illuminated
NOVEMBER 2024 | THE NETWORK
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