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Press release: Secretary of State sees the future of the NHS at Hillingdon (April 2009) (pdf, opens a new window)
'I can put my telly on or open a window without worrying about other people’ 'My husband leaves at about 8pm, he gets me ready for bed first. He definitely wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that in a normal ward’
About us: Hillingdon Hospital: Bevan Ward
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The project forms part of an NHS research project on the costs and benefits of 100% single bed accommodation. The unit costs £3.3m with £0.8m coming from the Department of Health and comprises 24 single rooms each with their own ensuite facilities.
A recent event at Brunel University allowed patients and staff to share experiences and interim findings with the wider health community. See presentations from the Bevan Ward event.
Background
The Bevan Ward (formerly the Pilot Ward) project was first conceived by clinical staff in 2009. During workshops, they decided it should:
- Support measures to enhance privacy, dignity and respect
- Increase patient safety (infections, falls, medicines etc
- Eliminate stressors and promote rest and sleep quality
- Increase the amount of quality and clinical contact
- Enhance social contact and support (visitors, other patients etc)
- Improve observation and communication
- Enable a cleaner, less cluttered environment
- Lessen staff risk and stress
- Promote effective working
- Facilitate good bed management (admissions, transfers and discharges)
The facility enables research comparing single rooms with open plan wards, including:
- Views and opinions of patients
- Views and opinions of staff
- Implications for clinical staffing and costs
- Implications for non clinical staffing and costs (e.g. cleaning)
- Clinical outcomes of patients
The DH also wanted to test 3 designs, based mainly on different locations of en suite facility and its impact on the room design:
- On the inner wall (corridor side) of the room
- On the external wall of the room
- In between the 2 rooms
Bevan ward design was guided by the latest evidence of how to increase visual observation of patients, reducing nurse walking and fatigue, empower staff to communicate better with patients, while preserving patient’s privacy and the confidentiality.
The removal of a centralised nurse station and installation of “touch down” bases within the corridors was another key design feature specified.
The outcomes of the research will have implications for ward design across the wider NHS and beyond, with clear interfaces between design and operational issues.