A door safety hinge and the design of a new child and adolescent mental health unit were among the entries singled out for praise at the 2017 Design In Mental Health Awards.
Held on the first evening of this year’s Design in Mental Health Conference and Exhibition in Birmingham; a total of six awards were presented.
The winner of the Product Innovation Award was the Symphony En-Suite Door manufactured by Safehinge.
The product is made up of lightweight, flexible leaves that can be printed with images, patterns or colours so that service users can personalise their bedrooms.
Fully anti-ligature, they act as a partial visual screen to preserve privacy and dignity, yet allow observation of head and feet to give staff peace of mind. Plus, there are no magnets in the leaf that can be removed and swallowed, and they reduce the floorspace needed by 75%, enabling designers to create more-spacious bedrooms.
The Service User Engagement Award for 2017 went to the Ancora House project team.
The new child and adolescent mental health inpatient unit based in Chester provides inpatient and day care for youngsters with severe and complex mental health conditions.
The development, designed by Gilling Dod Architects, constructed by Eric Wright, and delivered in conjunction with Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Villicare, also picked up the covetedProject of the Year Award.
Ancora House won the Service User Engagement Award as well as the Project of the Year gong
The Award for Collaborative Estates and Facilities Team went to the group behind the Mitford Unit, a new adult autism inpatient unit at Northgate Hospital in Northumberland.
Run by Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, it was designed by Medical Architecture.
The Wellbeing Award was presented to Art Insite for its work helping to improve the healing environment for patients, staff and visitors at medical centres and hospitals across the country.
Finally, the Design Champion Award was won by Paul Jackson, 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s project manager for the Atherleigh Park Hospital development, a new £40m mental health facility in Leigh, Greater Manchester.
Designed by AFL Architects, the unit was constructed by Kier and provides 100% single-bed rooms with en-suite facilities over two wards, as well as an eight-bed PICU.
Commenting on the award, Jackson said: “I hope this helps give exposure to what a fantastic new mental health facility we have in Leigh.
“It has been a privilege for me to have had the opportunity to have been part of such a dedicated project team involving so many staff and service users.
“Their contribution has ensured a modern, therapeutic design which helps towards improved outcomes for patients.
“The feedback from staff and patients at Atherleigh Park has been really positive since they moved in, which makes the hard work over the last three years really worthwhile.”
Paul Jackson won the Design Champion Award
Featured companies
- Companies:
- Step Communications
- Art in Site
- Medical Architecture
- 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Fund Trust
- Gilling Dod Architects
- Northgate Hospital
- AFL Architects
- Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS
- Eric Wright Group
- Safehinge Primera