Designing better mental healthcare facilities

Safevent window for Devon’s first PICU

Devon Partnership NHS Trust has chosen the latest iteration of Britplas’s Safevent window for its new, 10-bedded £5.5m Wonford PICU, The Junipers.

Since its invention in 2006, Britplas says the Safevent has been installed ‘in hundreds of mental health facilities across the UK’. The design has been continually improved, evolving through eight models, while retaining its core anti-ligature design, natural light and ventilation, and patient control features.

Britplas explained: “The most recent improvements have seen a switch from face- to bottom-drained sills, removing any visible drainage slots, and thus negating the need for plastic drain covers. This has also allowed the drainage slots to be extended through the frame to allow water to drain through the system much more quickly and effectively.”

The new Wonford PICU represents one of the first projects completed using the newly designed sill. Alongside aluminium externally sliding Safevent windows, Britplas also designed and installed curtain walling and aluminium and steel doors for the new unit, working with main contractor, Interserve.

“We are constantly reviewing the design of our proprietary products to ensure we remain at the leading edge of design for mental health,” explained Britplas head of Sales, Neil Guest. “The new Safevent sill design has been six months in development, so it’s great to see it being installed in flagship projects like The Junipers.”

In developing The Junipers’ design, the Trust’s Clinical Reference Group, working with its architects, took into account experience and feedback from of individuals and their families from Devon who have used PICUs, sought guidance from NAPICU and other national building reference material, and visited PICUs across England and Wales.

 

 

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