Yorkshire nostalgia key to improving patients’ lives

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has redeveloped Wards 23 and 29 at Bradford Royal Infirmary to improve the environment for patients and staff.

The project brief was to look at the how design and artwork could influence patient behaviour.

This has been achieved by providing memory boxes by each bed, into which patients place a personal object they can remember. It helps patients find their way back to their beds, also doubling up as an aid to nostalgia.

In addition, large Kodak-style slide frames, backlit with LED lighting, feature images from The Yorkshire Film Archive. They include bygone scenes such as families at the seaside.

Head of nursing Dawn Parkes said: “Immediate improvements we have already seen include reduced rates of falls, less agitation among patients and reduced complaints from relatives.

“In the past, our patients used to wander up and down the wards aimlessly. Now, they will sit more attentively on the special seats we have provided adjacent to the light boxes and image boards.

“They are much more orientated and there is increased interaction with hospital staff, who, in turn, are now better able to engage patients in meaningful conversations – for example, about the contents of their memory boxes and the pictures on display.”

Bradford-based New Vision Signs & Graphics and PEC Building & Shopfitting took on the project.