Today we welcome you to Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust Eating Disorder Unit, at St Ann’s Hospital in Poole.
Having handed over on the completed 10-bedroom Kimmeridge Court ward earlier this month, Kingsway Group helped our NHS Trust partner successfully deliver a welcoming facility serving patients in the local area who, before the opening of the Kimmeridge Court, previously had to travel a much greater distance to receive the correct care.
Having clearly identified the necessity for the Kimmeridge Court Eating Disorder Unit, the £8 million scheme was approved with work on site beginning in mid-2021. A collaborative approach ensured for a successful and timely opening, with Medical Architecture, Kier Construction, Kingsway Group, and Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust working in tandem to deliver a modern and non-institutional facility for the local area.
Kingsway Group, led on this project by Anthony Dunn and Ben Glass, worked closely with our NHS Trust partner to achieve this by defining the specific needs of the facility and its service users before agreeing upon the bespoke specifications. A range of Kingsway’s solutions were then selected to r
educe risk throughout the Kimmeridge Ward.
Maximising patient safety and the ability of staff to respond promptly to ligature or barricading incidents, Kingsway’s SWING Anti-Barricade and Anti-Ligature Complete Door Systems were selected for the service user bedrooms, fitted with Door Top Monitor Alarms and Duralux Secure Vision Panels.
To further reduce ligature risk within the bedrooms, Kingsway’s SHOWER doors were selected for en-suite areas along with a number of anti-ligature washroom accessories.
Providing the same robustness and fire safety compliance as the SWING door system, Kingsway’s SOLO Door System was chosen for use in corridors and communal areas.
Being situated within a wooded glade, the trust wanted to preserve as much of the greenery as possible at Kimmeridge Court to help enhance the healing environment through calming, natural surroundings. A communal atrium providing full view of the woodland area offers service users a therapeutic space to spend time, whilst a Kingsway SWING Anti-Barricade Door System to the atrium entrance reduces the risk within this space.
This sentiment was echoed throughout the building’s interior design with the Trust carefully considering color schemes and imagery. Kingsway were tasked with delivering a bespoke natural finish to the door systems to match the fitted furniture, resulting in a coherent visual design throughout the bedrooms and building.
As a specialist Eating Disorder Unit, the NHS Trust carefully considered service user interaction with the communal kitchen area. The SWING Anti-Barricade Door System was fitted to the kitchen entrance with an Oblong Pyrolux Vision Panel and Free Swing Anti-Ligature Closer to ensure patients can use the kitchen facilities independently whilst providing staff with optimal observation and the ability to quickly overcome any potential barricading incidents.
As a long-established and ongoing partner in patient safety for Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust, Kingsway Group’s appointment within this project provided peace of mind to the Trust that support would extend where needed beyond the project completion.
To see more of Kimmeridge Court at St Ann’s Hospital, view our case study video below.
To find our more about how the Kingsway team can support your bespoke project, please reach out and we’ll be glad to help.
