Critical Care Units deal with the most at-risk patients, providing life support for a patients’ vital organs, allowing recovery until they can function by themselves. The Trust’s vision was to design an environment focused on providing patients and their families the reassurance that they are receiving outstanding care in the most advanced healthcare setting.

The CCU provides sixteen single bed-spaces, two of which are full isolation suites. The Unit has 100% single occupancy bed-spaces, benefiting patients and staff and which can lead to more relaxed patients resulting in less sedation, quicker recovery times and happier, healthier patients, visitors and staff, all of which deliver efficiencies to the Trust. Privacy and dignity are further enhanced by the acoustic buffering offered by the flush mounted double walled switchable glass screens which separate patient bed spaces from each other and the corridor. Touch down bases are located outside pairs of rooms allowing flexibility to provide step down HDU care.

The inclusion of a daylight emulating lighting system within internal bed spaces aids recovery by synchronising the patient’s circadian rhythm which helps to maintain the patients natural sleep patterns.

Through detailed consultation with clinical stakeholders and Trust’s estates team, we incorporated Draeger pendants and patient hoist systems capable of lifting bariatric patients and designed innovative waste management systems for handling waste at source within the patient bed spaces.

The outcome is a very calm and therapeutic environment for patients, staff and visitors alike with an enhanced infection control strategy, an efficient nursing regime and optimum privacy at the flick of a switch.