Kingsway Group CAMHS Door System – Kingsway Group

Nominee Information

In early 2023, Kingsway Group embarked on a research and design concept project alongside Andrew Arnold of Gilling Dod. Engaging with Experts by Experience and NHS Trusts, the aim of the collaborative project was to determine what the perfect CAMHS bedroom should look like and set a new goal post for the standard in design for mental health environments.

The project arose following a Kingsway Design Review Panel in which Andrew and a number of NHS Trusts took part. The panel discussed the most pressing matters within CAMHS design to establish areas for improvement, with key themes emerging around ensuring children and young people feel safe, valued and in control within CAMHS facilities.

Continuing the project’s research, Kingsway visited Caudwell Children, a Newcastle-based charity providing autism assessment services and support. There, alongside Andrew, Kingsway met with a group of Experts by Experience consisting of neurodiverse children & young people along with their families who had agreed to review the initial CAMHS bedroom concept.

Through open and inspiring discussion around what the children and young people liked, didn’t like, and what would make them feel most comfortable and at ease, Kingsway and Andrew gained an improved understanding of what the final concept needed to achieve.

As specialists in anti-ligature door systems, Kingsway Group set about designing an entirely new Door System for the concept CAMHS bedroom. With many children and young people remaining in care for extended periods of time, the concept aims to transform a typical CAMHS bedroom from simply a necessity into a space that nurtures; a space providing a sense of ownership and control and one in which fundamentally children and young people can feel safe and comfortable.

The Kingsway CAMHS Bedroom Door System provides a softened appearance and homely feel while still delivering the anti-ligature design required to facilitate safe use within CAMHS facilities. Innovated as a direct result of this project, the doorset features our new CAMHS Vision Panel; a silently operated privacy porthole utilising polarising technology and featuring an integrated light system which the service user can control. The new vision panel provides the service user with instantaneous control over which colour they want their light to be at any given time, while a whiteboard integrated within the doorset allows for further personalisation of their space.

The doorset features bespoke ironmongery designed for the project, characterised by a gradient in thickness that provides the perfect fit for small through to large hands.

Kingsway Group are excited to publicly unveil the new CAMHS Door System at this year’s Design in Mental Health conference in Manchester and hope the concept project serves as an inspiration for what can be achieved through collaborative innovation and coproduction.