A project to improve accommodation and enhance safety at Basildon Mental Health Unit has won a national award.
Dormitory accommodation at the unit, run by the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, has been replaced with 16 individual bedrooms. Each has a private shower and toilet, Oxehealth technology to monitor patients’ vital signs, and custom-built furniture with safety features.
The project won the Best Patient Safety Initiative category in the Building Better Healthcare Awards earlier this month. It was also shortlisted in the Best Interior Design and Best External Environment categories.
It was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care as part of national £400million fund to remove dormitory accommodation in mental health facilities.
The £12.5million project also included new therapeutic outside spaces, additional safety features throughout the unit, and a de-escalation room, which has reduced the number of incidents and the need for physical restraint.
The work was carried out in four phases and staff and service users were involved in the designs.
One patient said: “I feel so much safer already, knowing I have my own room and not feeling I have to share with other people will make such a big difference to me and getting better.”
Anthony Flaherty, Head of Estates Strategy and Capital Planning Manager, said: “The award is recognition for the hard work and dedication of all stakeholders resulting in an excellent facility.
“Throughout the design process, both service users and staff were instrumental in contributing to improving patient experience and providing a safer environment. We are committed to developing our buildings to a therapeutic environment that enhances patient care.”
We worked with KLH Architects, Storm building contractors and Castons chartered surveyor.
Tom Bryce, director of KLH Architects, said: “We were proud to be part of the project team for the eliminating dormitories project at Basildon Mental Health Unit. Completed in June this year, the project is a huge improvement for the trust with outstanding new safety features.
“A collaborative approach between the design team, EPUT’s project managers and the users helped develop a new and improve specification for the project, which included new and best in class safety products, which was seen by the judges and helped win the Best Patient Safety Initiative at this year’s Building Better Healthcare Awards in London.”