Devon Partnership NHS Trust has chosen the latest iteration of Britplas’ Safevent window for the creation of its new 10-bed £5.5m Wonford psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU), The Junipers.
Since its invention in 2006, the Safevent window has been installed in hundreds of mental health facilities across the UK.
The window design has been continually improved during this time, evolving through eight models while retaining its core features of anti-ligature design, natural light and ventilation, and patient control.
The most-recent improvements to the product have seen a switch from face-drained to bottom-drained sills. This has removed any visible drainage slots, thus negating the need for plastic drain covers.
It has also allowed the drainage slots to be extended through the frame to allow water to drain through the system much more quickly and effectively.
The new Wonford PICU represents one of the first projects to have been completed using the newly-designed sill.
And, as well as aluminium externally-sliding Safevent windows, Britplas also designed and installed curtain walling and aluminium and steel doors at the new unit, working with main contractor. Interserve.
The site also includes a new eight-bed mother and baby unit, where Britplas has also been commissioned to install the Safevent.
With three floors centred around a landscaped courtyard, the unit will replace the temporary four-bed facility which opened at Wonford House in April 2018.
“We are constantly reviewing the design of our proprietary products to ensure we remain at the leading edge of design for mental health” said Britplas head of sales, Neil Guest.
“The new Safevent sill design has been some six months in development, so it’s great to now see it being installed in flagship projects like The Junipers.”
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