Ipswich Hospital Mental Health Unit: Nurturing Wellbeing and Mindfulness for the Whole Community

Synopsis

The new Acute Mental Health Unit at Ipswich Hospital, Queensland, Australia has been designed to fulfil an ambitious vision around delivering best-practice recovery-focused care for the community.

A foundation of healing underpins an environment that nurtures wellbeing and mindfulness. Architecture, interior design and landscape work together to establish a holistic setting of calm to restore dignity to the healing journey, normalise mental health care in the community and deliver a new benchmark for recovery-orientated care in Australia.

An overarching philosophy around ‘designing for people’ has shaped both the process and the outcomes of this project. The design focus has been on caring for people, consumers, their loved ones and those people providing the care, to create an environment that supports the network around each person and enables care for the ‘whole person’.

The community has been at the core of the co-design process and the community remains the foundation of the care model that is now being successfully delivered.

A community of stakeholders – the facility has been designed through a deep and comprehensive engagement process that welcomed the community, including First Nations representatives, to participate in the co-design journey with equal footings.

A community of care – the building as a setting to enable best practice in a rehab-focused model of care – consumers, carers and staff form a progressive community focused on healing and mindfulness.

The family community – breaking down stigma, consumers, carers and family are welcomed with pride into the healing environment and participate in the recovery journey, aiding transitioning to home and resulting in reduced relapse.

Evidence is currently being gathered which indicates that the healing environment is profoundly benefitting the community through more effective healing and a more effective workforce providing both health and cost benefits for the whole community.

The presentation will outline key project objectives, the collaborative design process and innovative design manoeuvres that have shaped the facility and are now directly benefitting the community. This will include insights around the type of care being delivered, family participation, staff satisfaction and consumer recovery rates.