Healthcare Environments

Sarah Williams (Inclusive Designer)

The team at the Sensory Trust have been exploring the benefits of therapeutic outdoor environments in Healthcare settings. This has included looking at methods to engage people with the natural environment through Arts workshops and events.

We are currently working closely with the Arts co-ordinator of a large Mental Health Hospital, to look at creating user-friendly routes for the clients, staff and visitors, as well as the local community. Our aim is to enable easier navigation of the site and encourage people to explore the grounds and enjoy their environment. Through creating ‘walking routes’ the staff, clients and visitors can gain some gentle exercise, explore the wildlife and artworks, and socialise while burning off calories!

Leading on from this a recent conference held in Leeds, Critical Connections, raised important issues surrounding hospital environments and the use of outdoor space. We are all painfully aware of the staff shortages in the NHS, none more than NHS managers, who are beginning to address poor staff retention rates through initiatives to improve the quality of hospital environments.

The Kings Fund has begun to address this through a residential course for multi-disciplinary teams within the NHS, in order to identify areas for improvement within their Trust. This has included producing attractive garden and reception areas where the Arts have played a key role in both staff, client and visitor consultation. The project, ‘Enhancing the Healing Environment’ has shown that an attractive, high quality environment where staff and service users have participated in the design and decoration of the Hospital creates a healthier, less stressful environment.

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