Award celebrates caring design
13 December 2007
The Ty Olwen Specialist Palliative Care Hospice has been granted a ‘commendation for best interior’ at the Swansea Lord Mayor’s Design Awards 2007.
Placed in the category of Commercial and Retail, Nightingale Associates and the design team were praised for their considerate approach to creating an environment reactive to its users.
The drive behind the scheme was the vital requirement for a high quality environment, with patient and family comfort at the core of the design. Working closely with Swansea NHS Trust and the Ty Olwen Trust, a charity specialising in palliative care, the Nightingale Associates team carefully integrated a number of innovations into the design which greatly improved the patient environment.
Beyond the basic requirement of 18 in-patient beds, Nightingale Associates assisted in reducing the clinical aesthetics of each ward, concealing services and creating personal storage space. The staff and patients were made accessible to greater natural light and the application of a therapeutic colour palette throughout the hospice, including the lounge space, created a calming and relaxed space. The principal design feature to improve the service provided by the hospice was the integration of a retractable bed near the patient for loved ones to stay overnight. This was a simple solution which has resulted in a profound impact on users and carers.
The Ty Olwen Trust is currently fundraising for the second phase of the development, to improve the outpatient facilities at the hospice. Every year, Ty Olwen’s staff care for more than 1,200 terminally ill patients, as well as supporting their families, and is backed-up by a team of 80 dedicated volunteers, and trustees.
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