NEWS
‘Inclusive design hub’ launched
The Design Council has been funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to create a new online ‘Inclusive Design Hub’ for the built environment. The ‘hub’ project will see a Design Council team collate existing legislation, guidance, and best practice relating to inclusive design in the built environment in as
Stephen Williams MP.
comprehensive a form as possible, and then make the content available online for interested parties ranging from architects and design consultancies to property owners and facilities managers.
Nicola Mathers, Cabe lead advisor at the Design Council, who is managing the new resource, says the hub will be independent of government, and will be ‘the go-to source of
information and guidance about inclusive design in the built environment’. She said: “There are currently some 190 resources already ‘live’ on the hub (
http://tinyurl.com/ jwnxbab), but we are extremely keen for organisations and individuals with potential further useful content to contribute to contact us.”
On the hub’s launch, Stephen Williams, Minister for Communities and Local Government, said: “Making our surroundings and buildings accessible to everyone is vital to giving people equal opportunities and protecting the vulnerable. Government and construction professionals have already made significant progress, but there is still more we can do to improve building design.”
Stylish furniture popular with patients
Stylish, design-led, and robust healthcare furniture has been supplied by Bradford- based Knightsbridge Furniture to complete the £42 million Kingfisher Court mental health unit in Radlett, Hertfordshire. The light and airy day rooms have been populated with Hula circular dining tables from Knightsbridge Furniture’s ‘specialist’ Challenging Behaviour Collection, which ‘combines contemporary styling with inherent strength and stability’. The tables are complemented by elegant Harvey upright armchairs; all exposed wood has the same Walnut finish, and the chairs are upholstered in waterproof Aston faux hide. “Service-users, carers, staff, and the general public, were all involved during the unit’s development, and their views were
also sought when it came to the fitting out,” explained Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust commissioning and projects manager, Lisa Wellings. “We presented options from several manufacturers, but the Knightsbridge chairs and tables proved most popular with everyone. Having worked with Knightsbridge for several years, I knew they could be relied upon to deliver products on time, and to the high quality which the project deserves.” Knightsbridge Furniture holds Preferred Supplier status with the NHS, the SHS, HSE Ireland, and key providers of private and charitable healthcare. The company’s Challenging Behaviour Collection is crafted at the company’s Yorkshire plant using timber from renewable sources.
Thermal doorset meets standards
Adams Rite, part of Assa Abloy Security Solutions, has worked with Kestrel Aluminium Systems to produce new thermally efficient commercial aluminium single and double doorsets, ‘suitable for high specification commercial projects’, tested to a key UK security standard.
The doorsets were tested to PAS24, using
the Adams Rite Sentinel M commercial multi- point lock incorporating the new 3-star security rated cylinder platform, at Assa Abloy’s accredited test laboratory. They successfully resisted all PAS24 attacks, having undergone timed manual attack methods, hard and soft body impact tests, and mechanical load testing of 4500 N at each locking point without component failure or opening. Mike Cresswell, technical manager, Kestrel Aluminium Systems, said: “We’ve manufactured this doorset in line with the changes to Building Regulation Document L. It is proven to have a low rate of heat loss, ensuring that it is energy-efficient in keeping with the Building Regulations relating to the Conservation of Fuel and Power. We now feel confident that the doorset will not only conserve heat, but will also adequately protect occupants and assets in a range of commercial projects.”
CQC’s initial analysis of mental health Trusts published
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published information on every NHS Trust that provides mental health services in England to show the public how it decides which services it will inspect next and what it will focus on.
The information is based on its analysis of 59 different sources of evidence – from concerns raised by healthcare staff, and bed occupancy rates, to staff and patient surveys.
Of the 57 NHS Trusts that provide mental
health services in England, the Commission has placed 40 into bands one to four (highest perceived risk to lowest perceived risk), of which over a third are in band four, and five in band one. The CQC said: “This analysis shows that the majority of NHS Trusts providing mental health services in England appear to be of low concern. While this is not a judgment of their performance, it is a positive indication about what the quality of their care could be like. CQC will use this analysis to guide its inspections from April.”
Duty stations ‘get a voice’
Although technology has moved on, even today the basic nurse call system is still being referred to by some as “that ‘buzzer’ or ‘bell’ system”. So says Austco, although the company says this is a major misconception, since, as an indication of the capabilities of a modern nurse call system, such statements ‘couldn’t be further from the truth’. “Take for example, our new IP DUTY
station,” the company says. “It is a smart device, similar to a tablet, that can be a virtual call point, a call list annunciator, or a workflow assistant. The latest version has full VoIP (telephony), intercom, and dialler capabilities, plus the ability to display patient records. “One device can be tailored for patients or staff alike, replacing simple buttons and bells with smarter, application-rich panels. While there remains a place for simple devices like buttons and sounders, the modern care environment demands more from technology, and Austco continues to develop its IP platform in line with present and future needs.”
THE NETWORK
January 2015
7
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