ALTRO FEATURES IN DEMENTIA-FRIENDLY DESIGN AT SALISBURY DISTRICT HOSPITAL

A package of Altro products has been used in the Imber Ward at Salisbury District Hospital, a new, environmentally-sustainable facility providing extra bed capacity for elderly care patients. Imber Ward is housed in the Elizabeth Building, named in honour of the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The new £14m building provides 24 additional beds in a state-of-the-art ward, incorporating a mixture of four-bed bays and side rooms, and was part- funded by the hospital’s charity, the Stars Appeal.

A combination of Altro floors and walls was used throughout Imber Ward. Altro Illustra, Altro Suprema and Altro Operetta floors provide safety, natural aesthetics and ease of cleaning. Altro Wood provides a homely, welcoming feel and Altro Whiterock Digiclad (Custom) was used for the walls creating an individual design focus for the ward and quiet room. Altro Pisces and Altro Whiterock Satins and Altro Whiterock White were installed in the bathrooms, showers and wet rooms, giving staff and patients the reassurance of bare foot and shod safety from slips, and easy to clean hygienic walls.

Lesley Self, Salisbury District Hospital’s ArtCare Projects Officer and Julia Gregory from the hospital’s Estates Capital Projects Team used focus groups with patients, families, visitors, and clinical teams to inform the design of the new ward. The interior reflects the colourful four seasons, incorporating local landscapes with photos and drawings. Walls and floors have a biophilic theme and are customisable with digitally printed images. Unique, customised rooms aid wayfinding, ensuring each room is distinct.

Catering for elderly patients with complex needs, the design principles of creating dementia-friendly environments were vitally important. Lesley Self, ArtCare Projects Officer, says:

“Patients may experience disorientation while navigating the area, so integrating wayfinding into the overall design concept was essential. Understanding these needs was part of the design process, but also helping staff take ownership and care of the spaces by understanding why design is important to them and how amazing it can look.”

Imber Ward is the biggest capital development at Salisbury District Hospital in nearly 20 years. It provides 24 additional beds, featuring a mix of four-bed bays and side rooms, that enable elderly patients recovering from surgery to be cared for in a dedicated space tailored to their needs. By providing extra bed capacity, Imber Ward underpins the hospital’s elective recovery programme, as in turn this allows surgical beds to be better utilised to deliver much-needed elective care such as day surgery. The ward marks a major milestone in Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust’s efforts to deliver the very best compassionate, effective care to the community.

Altro products have been used over the years in a wide range of projects at Salisbury District Hospital. Lesley Self says:

“We have always used Altro products as they are great for clinical environments being versatile and providing a safe hygienic, softening finish. We know that these products will be in place for at least 20 years, so they need to be durable, flexible, and able to match changing colour schemes.”

The package of products from Altro included:

Altro Illustra: available in a range of contemporary and flexible designs, this stylish, functional and design-led safety flooring has enhanced sustained slip resistance.

Altro Suprema: award winning, non-sparkle, low-gloss safety floor with superior stain, abrasion and scratch resistance.

Altro Wood: a general purpose 2mm wood-effect vinyl safety floor available in a range of designs with different plank sizes and shades.

Altro Whiterock Digiclad (Custom): a custom print option utilising UV cured inks onto an Altro Whiterock sheet from a design or photographic image.

Altro Pisces: a domestic-look specialist floor for a “home from home”, warm feel in wet rooms and bathrooms. Altro Operetta has designer looks with 4dB sound reduction.

Altro Whiterock Satins: a colourful and tonal, satin finish wall sheets with all the hygiene and durability of Altro Whiterock.

Altro Whiterock White: a proven, high performance, hygienic alternative to ceramic tiles.

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