Design and Digital Solutions Theatre Seminars

This session will explore how digitising Facilities Management processes can unlock significant efficiencies and value for NHS providers. A particular focus will be placed on the Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC), which is often a time consuming and resource intensive task.

The session will demonstrate how digital tools and automated data capture can streamline ERIC reporting, reduce the risk of mistakes, and free up valuable time for strategic priorities. As efficiency remains a key focus across the NHS, the discussion will highlight how digital solutions can support more accurate reporting, streamline service delivery whilst saving time and resources.

Alina Agarkova, Marketing Manager at Yewdale and a late-diagnosed autistic individual, offers a compelling exploration of how simple environmental changes can significantly improve the experiences of autistic people within NHS facilities, particularly in mental health settings. Drawing from her personal journey through the NHS—a journey prolonged by eight years due to sensory sensitivities and communication challenges—Alina sheds light on the often-overlooked impact of environmental factors on autistic individuals seeking healthcare.

In her talk, Alina will provide an overview of autism and delve into the sensory sensitivities that many autistic people share. She will discuss how loud noises from crowded waiting rooms, excessive lighting from fluorescent lamps or unshaded natural light, and overly bright rooms without adequate sun protection can lead to difficulty concentrating, dissociation, shutdowns, or even meltdowns. These overwhelming experiences not only hinder effective communication with healthcare providers but also exacerbate stress in environments meant to offer support.

Alina will also address the critical concern that some autistic individuals may engage in self-harm during severe meltdowns or when faced with overwhelming environments, which can, in extreme cases, lead to suicidal tendencies. Therefore, it is essential that mental health facilities are equipped to prevent harm and provide safe, calming environments.

Transitioning from challenges to solutions, Alina will highlight practical, easy-to-implement changes that can make a substantial difference. She will discuss the use of sound-absorbing panels to reduce ambient noise, curtains for light control and additional sound absorption, and blinds that manage both light and sound while introducing calming colours into the environment. She will introduce anti-ligature products supplied by Yewdale that are suitable for such settings, emphasising their role in preventing self-harm. Additionally, Alina will showcase options like in-suite doors and SafeArt that can be personalised to make autistic individuals feel more welcome, even during the most challenging times of their lives. Backed by research, she will illustrate how colour choices and personalised environments can positively influence mood and well-being among autistic individuals.

Developing good design through co-production to create safe spaces, which is appropriate to the user groups background and needs is critical to improving long term therapeutic outcomes and supporting equality, diversity and inclusion objectives of Trusts. A Year on from launching the Co-Production CAMHS Collaboration at Design in Mental Health 2024, Mark Childs, Kevin Gorman and Andrew Arnold reflect on the continued learning gained from opening the mock-up room, how it has already influenced new project design and future plans for its development globally.
Building on the previous years’ research, development and collaboration undertaken by Gilling Dod, Kingsway Group and Britplas, in June 23, we opened the 1:1 scale mock up to the wider Mental Health industry to peer review and input. Having undertaken qualitative research with Experts by Experience (EbE’s), Caudwell Children’s Charity and NHS Trusts we built a room, which was developed with a person centric approach, where rest, recouperation and sleep were central pillars of the design.
We understood in creating the room, the design was not intended to be a ‘destination’, rather a journey, with the aim of creating a lasting legacy by increasing awareness of the need for good design and to promote better outcomes for young people accessing Mental Health inpatient provision.
With a particular focus on Neurodivergent, Learning Difficulty and Eating Disorder user groups, we have held of series of Open Days across the year which have included Clinical leads, Health & Safety and Facilities teams, people with Lived Experience, Architects and Construction partners, with the central question ‘how would you build a CAMHS room’ centred around a therapeutic approach and how do you see the mock up adding to the experience for service users.

The presentation will identify key components in selecting products when creating ligature safe environments. All care environments present opportunities to attach ligatures e.g., doors and windows even though technological advancements in product design have advanced. Nevertheless there are no set standards when considering ligature resistance for most products and manufacturers can specify products as "Anti-Ligature", without fully understanding the complex dynamics of introducing products within a room and the interplay between products within a given space.

Moreover if manufacturers don't understand the complexities of developing ligature resistant products how can those clinical staff undertaking the environmental suicide risk assessment begin to fully understand the risks posed when examining the environment. All to often the risk assessment is reduced to a formalised actuarial approach in which the assessor is no more enlightened regarding the environmental risks.

After examining hundreds of hospital environments and testing thousands of products over the last eight years emergent themes have arisen. There is a need to examine an environment from a patients perspective.. Patients don't just observe an environment with a clipboard and pen they physically interact with it.

The presentation will look at key principles in procurement and product selection, These themes include:

• Is the product ligature resistant - how has it been tested (e.g. BRE, 'Informed Choices)
• If it can be broken you can probably attach a ligature - products must be robust
• Ligature attachment points include trapping items -
• Does the product work as a product - a coat hook must hold a coat
• What planned preventative maintenance is required and at what cost / frequency
• Is there a need for the product
• Is the product a fire risk
• is the product a health and safety risk

Finally the product should have clear fitting instructions as over 80% of products fitted are not fitted in accordance with manufacturers instructions. The presentation will use product type examples to illustrate positive aspects and examples of product types which fail short to illustrate the issues discussed. We believe that using these principles when procuring products will greatly enhance decision making.

Curtain Walling is specified and installed within Adult Medium Secure Facilities. It is often cited that it needs to comply with and be tested for specific NHS guidance. In the course of being involved with the installation of Curtain Walling in these facilities, it seemed difficult to understand what was required, how specifications came about and if there were any tested solutions within the industry. The MSc Dissertation looks How are curtain wall systems being specified by architects for medium-secure adult mental health care units?

The refurbishment and extension of the CAMHS Unit at Berrywood Hospital, Northampton explores how small yet strategic architectural interventions can have a profound impact on mental health care environments. Through spatial reconfiguration and a modest extension, the project enhances patient experience and the overall therapeutic setting. The new extension, with art and education rooms, creates an alternative zone between private bedrooms and communal areas—breaking away from a polarised environment and offering young people a sense of autonomy and variety in their daily routine.  The intervention maximises natural light to create bright, and uplifting spaces- avoiding both austerity and sensory overwhelm, subtly transforming the ward into a dynamic, therapeutic setting.

Depict VR is an innovative virtual reality mental health product designed to help young people who hear voices. An estimated one million young people experience voice hearing. The distress from voice hearing is linked to an increase in suicidal thoughts and left untreated can lead to psychosis in later life. Current treatments for young voice hearers are only 50% effective, and Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) do not have capacity to treat the backlog of patients.

Depict VR has been developed to reach more young voice hearers earlier in the treatment pathway and increase capacity within CAMHS to treat more patients. Depict VR is designed to help young people reflect on their voice hearing and share this experience with a trusted confidante, for example a family member. The activity aims to reduce the social barriers that prevent young people from sharing their experiences, build a dialogue between the young person and confidante and empower the confidante to offer further support outside the clinical setting.

Depict VR has been developed in collaboration with Dr Preethi Premkumar at London South Bank University and supported with Innovate UK Mindset XR funding. The product is currently undergoing a further study at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundational Trust CAMHS with the support of the British Academy. Whilst clinicians report enthusiasm for Depict VR, we now need to investigate how a novel virtual reality product can be effectively delivered within an NHS setting.

SpiritVR is a suite of immersive VR applications designed to reduce anxiety, build confidence, and support emotional regulation through guided mindfulness, sensory environments, and public speaking simulations. In this talk, the creators share why they developed SpiritVR and how it’s being used across schools, councils, and the NHS. Explore the mental well-being benefits of immersive design, simplified user controls, and accessibility-first thinking. The session will highlight lessons learned in creating engaging, evidence-informed VR experiences that help users apply coping techniques in everyday life—especially for those who struggle with traditional therapies.

Our presentation explores the powerful role of sensory spaces in supporting mental health and wellbeing. We will highlight how thoughtfully designed sensory environments can help regulate emotions, reduce anxiety, and promote self-care for individuals in mental health settings. Special focus will be placed on modular sensory solutions, such as the Senso Cube and Sensory Hive, and how their flexibility, portability, and quick installation make them ideal for modern healthcare environments. We'll share insights on the positive impact these spaces have on service users and staff alike, and how they can be tailored to meet specific therapeutic goals.

As mental health environments evolve, so do the needs of facilities and their patients. At Intastop, we’ve grown from a trusted manufacturer of specialist components—designed, manufactured, and assembled in the UK—into a full-service provider, delivering doorset solutions that prioritise safety, well-being, and long-term value

Intastop SECURA™ Solutions
Mental health facilities face unique challenges—from ligature risks to barricade situations—requiring doorsets that provide protection. The SECURA™ Bedroom Door is designed to:
• Reduce ligature risks through innovative design and continuous development.
• Enhance emergency response with an integrated door alarm system.
• Prevent barricades with an inward-opening door that converts to outward-opening in seconds.
• Withstand high-impact situations, ensuring long-term durability.

Designed for Healing
When designing our doorsets, comfort and dignity are key considerations. Intastop Secura™ doorsets contribute to a therapeutic, non-institutional environment through:
• Customisable design options including imagery on vision panels and powder-coated components.
• Privacy-focused solutions that maintain staff oversight.
• Enhanced aesthetics that support patient recovery and rehabilitation.

A Smarter Investment for Facilities
Built for performance, compliance, and cost efficiency, SECURA™ Doorsets offer:
• Exceptional durability, reducing long-term maintenance costs.
• Full compliance with NHS and mental health facility standards.
• Seamless integration with other safety solutions, including specialist handrails and anti-ligature hardware.
Intastop offer flexible solutions to meet your project requirements. Visit us at Design in Mental Health to explore how SECURA™ Doorsets are redefining safety and well-being in mental health environments.

Operation Stonethwaite is a police led initiative that makes it easier to prosecute mentally disordered offenders. Allied to Operation Stonethwaite is the Trust's Police Interventions Policy. Within the policy sit two appendices; 6 and 5. When an offence has been reported to the police, the nurse in charge of the ward completes the appendix 6 document. If the incident passes the public interest test, the next stage is for the appendix 5 to be completed by the Responsible Clinician. The process is in place across the West Midlands and it has radically improved the success rate in terms of positive criminal justice outcomes. Two such recent success were a record sentence for over 13 years with a life order for an attempted murder by a patient who was on a PICU, and another for over 3 years for assault by a patient on staff on an acute ward. The Trust is fully committed to de-escalation and preventing incidents in the first place. However, it will always prosecute those that commit offences against its staff.

The presentation will highlight the successes and the challenges faced in trying to implement the policy. It will highlight the importance of working in collaboration with the police and having a process in place that supports and is supported by the criminal justice process.

This presentation explores how thoughtful, patient-centered furniture design can enhance mental health environments by balancing safety, comfort, and aesthetics. With a focus on ligature risk reduction, the presentation draws from real-world examples, such as the Peter Hodgkinson Centre and Camden & Islington, where Hygenius provided custom fitted solutions to NHS facilities. These projects illustrate how high-quality, reduced-ligature furniture fosters therapeutic, homely environments that support mental health recovery, while maintaining critical safety standards in NHS care settings.

Fire safety on mental health wards is governed by the same regulations and guidelines as acute hospitals to ensure the safety of patients and staff. However, the nature of these wards presents their own specific and unique challenges. The service users often have conditions that make them more vulnerable during emergencies. They may have limited mobility, cognitive impairments, or be under medication that affects their ability to respond quickly
There is potential for patients to become disoriented, distressed or uncooperative during an evacuation. Some patients may not understand the meaning of a fire alarm or the need to evacuate, requiring clear instructions and staff support.
We must also take into account the risk of deliberate fire setting by service users requiring specific strategies and preventive measures to ensure the safety of all occupants
Mental health crises can lead to unpredictable behaviour which can include tampering with or damaging fire safety equipment including detector heads, extinguishers and fire doors, but we need to ensure that these are available & in good working order when required.
Service users will often take out their frustrations on the built environment
This presentation will look at some of the challenges we face ensuring that the wards are fire-safe but still providing a healing environment

With reduction of backlog maintenance within healthcare estates being a key issue for many NHS capital and estates teams, delivering on net zero targets with reduced finances is becoming increasingly challenging.

Our presentation will offer solutions for benchmarking estates in line with the NHS Net Zero Carbon Standard, via a Development Control Plan (DCP) approach allowing short, medium and long-term strategies to be aligned with clinical, estate and digital needs.

We will provide an example where we have identified carbon figures for two existing hospital sites without introduction of costly retrospective metering to gather data, moving through carbon reduction opportunities across a selction of scenarios enabling an NHS Trust the ability to strategise best carbon reduction outcomes, potential carbon offsetting and life cycle investments.

As we strive for better mental health solutions in today’s world, it is crucial to integrate sustainable practices into design and development. The challenge lies in creating environments that not only promote safety and well-being but also contribute to a more sustainable world overall.

Designing for the mental health environment, safety is a fundamental concern. Facilities must prioritise safety while also addressing mental health needs with sensitivity and care.

To achieve this safety in products and spaces, testing is critical. Through proper testing, ranging from robustness to infection control, products and designs can be evaluated to ensure they are not only fit for purpose but also environmentally sustainable. [Refer to case study]

But this admirable focus on the built environment and the immediate surroundings of patients can only exist within a larger context: that of the wellbeing of the wider world.

We can not ignore the climate crisis and conservation, care and sustainable thinking should be permeating our designs, our planning and our priorities. [Refer to case study]

Current industry practices highlight ongoing efforts to balance effectiveness and sustainability, with many companies are now aligning with sustainable goals, using resources more responsibly and seeking more eco-friendly materials. NHS targets and the evergreen Programme provide a roadmap for sustainability in healthcare. These programmes encourage the adoption of greener practices and set goals for a more sustainable future.

The journey to sustainability is ongoing. Understanding what sustainability means and why it is important is key. Ultimately it is about minimising environmental impact. [Refer to case study for example]

Balancing performance and sustainability can be challenging. However, making sustainable choices across all aspects of design and production is essential for long-term success. This does not have to compromise infection control or quality.

The People | Planet | Profit principle provides helpful information for the industry and encourages a balanced approach in all areas.

Shared responsibility is vital. Every stakeholder, from designer to consumer, has a role to play in making sustainable choices that benefit both people and the planet. Setting targets and sharing visions enables wider change. Aligning on sustainability goals fosters innovation and creates room for new, environmentally friendly solutions that consider social and community values.

Innovation is the change, challenging processes or legacy systems. Ultimately, we all have a role to play in protecting the planet to protect our loved ones, and by embracing sustainable mental health design, we can contribute to a healthier future for both people and the environment.

Over three decades of research demonstrates how virtual reality can be used to transform mental health provision - from exposure therapy to wellbeing.  How can user-research and design be used to develop sustainable models for implementation and adoption of virtual reality - from libraries to wards? Zillah Watson will show Phase Space adapted approaches developed by the BBC for public libraries, to implement virtual reality in education and healthcare settings. The talk will draw on early research in partnership with South West London and St George's Mental Health Trust to develop a scalable implementation model for VR for in-patients.

Anti-barricade doors are specialized door systems designed primarily for use in mental health facilities, correctional institutions, and high-risk environments to ensure safety, quick access, and privacy. Here's a concise summary:

Summary of Anti-Barricade Doors
Purpose: Prevent individuals from using the door to barricade themselves inside a room, especially in crisis situations where intervention is needed.

Key Features:

Quick-release mechanism: Allows staff to open the door outward even if it’s blocked from the inside.

Robust construction: Built to withstand force while ensuring no components can be used for self-harm.

Privacy with safety: Often include vision panels that allow monitoring without violating privacy.

Ligature-resistant hardware: Designed to reduce the risk of self-harm.

Use Cases:

Psychiatric hospitals

Prisons and detention centers

Secure care units

Benefits:

Enhances patient and staff safety

Enables rapid emergency access

Supports therapeutic environments by minimizing the need for forced entries

Being admitted at a mental health hospital can be an overwhelming and intense experience. It can bring a tough mixture of fear and confusion depending on the circumstances of admission.

The initial moments can be disorientating and unsettling where some personal freedoms are restricted. Relinquishing some possessions and overall control can add to the feeling of vulnerability. All too often unfortunately, the built environment is making this difficult situation worse.

This is where good architecture and good design can help ensure those vital first moments and experiences are warm, friendly and reassuring. It ensures that the built environment matches the excellent quality of the care environment provided by staff.

At Gilling Dod, we have produced several different approaches to this in our recent mental healthcare designs. This talk will outline different strategies to ensure that mental healthcare environments can make the right first impression. It will cover person-centred design themes, and simple, cost-effective measures that can make a powerful impact.

My research investigates the effects of architectural design of buildings on user needs and wellbeing using a cross-disciplinary (psychological) approach. This presentation will discuss importance of flexible home designs on our wellbeing particularly focusing on residents’ own behaviours of engaging with the home and their capabilities to do it .
Flexible homes are sustainable as they provide impermanence within the built environment. They also support and enhance residents’ wellbeing by allowing higher control and agency to decide how to use homes when our needs change and develop. My research established the importance of having flexibility at home for residents’ psychological wellbeing (how happy, in control, competent and socially connected we feel); And found that residents engaging in behaviours of home modifications plays a vital role in it. If flexible buildings are to be sustainable both financially, environmentally, and socially, they would need to support resident behaviours of making changes to their homes. In addition to creating flexible features and environments, residents physical and mental abilities to engage in the task and their motivations are important drivers which need to be considered when designing flexible home and its features.
In this talk, I present my research findings and the psychological approach used to understand how we can elevate successes of designs that are usable and impactful for residents and their wellbeing.

INFORM by KWC DVS is an advanced water management solution that empowers facilities to take full control of their water systems through smart technology. Designed to optimise performance and ensure compliance, INFORM offers remote wireless control, real-time data monitoring, detailed reporting, and broad compatibility—all backed by decades of trusted expertise.

With INFORM, facility managers can remotely control taps, showers, and solenoid valves through an intuitive online platform, significantly reducing the need for manual checks and streamlining maintenance routines. Real-time data provides continuous insight into water usage and temperature, allowing teams to proactively identify and address potential issues before they escalate. This ensures consistent compliance with health and safety regulations and supports a safer environment for all users.

Comprehensive reporting and analysis tools offer a clear overview of system performance, highlighting trends and helping teams make data-driven decisions to maintain water hygiene and operational efficiency. INFORM is also designed with flexibility in mind, offering seamless integration with a wide range of taps, spouts, showers, and clinical basins, making it adaptable to various facility types and needs.

Developed by KWC DVS, INFORM is the result of over 40 years of experience managing water systems in some of the most demanding environments. This legacy of expertise fuels a culture of innovation, ensuring INFORM is not only reliable but also at the forefront of technological advancement.

By choosing INFORM, you gain complete control of your water systems while prioritising safety, compliance, and sustainability. Experience the difference that data-driven, remote water management can make.

Fire protection in mental health care facilities presents unique challenges, requiring solutions that ensure both fire safety and patient well-being. Traditional fire suppression systems, such as traditional sprinklers, can pose risks due to their design and are also an unpopular choice with the potential for excessive water damage.

This presentation will explore innovative alternatives that offer a safer approach. Systems with anti-ligature design and targeted mist-based suppression, reduce fire risks without introducing self-harm hazards. They can ensure rapid activation while minimising false alarms. Learn how advanced fire protection systems are helping to create a safer, more secure environment for patients and caregivers, addressing both safety and mental health needs.

Join us as we explore the critical link between lighting and mental health in this educational session on circadian-responsive lighting. As awareness increases of the impact of light on human biology and physiology, we have an opportunity to improve environments in mental healthcare settings by synchronising lighting design with natural circadian rhythms.

Decades of research show that exposure to light, particularly blue wavelengths, affects more than just our vision – it influences alertness, mood, and the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep. Increased levels of blue-enriched light during the day can benefit cognitive function and mood, while reducing blue light into dusk and as the evening approaches promotes better sleep quality, supporting the well-being of both service users and staff.

We will look at the science behind non-visual light responses and their practical applications in mental healthcare environments. Attendees will learn how dynamic lighting systems that adapt throughout the day can help reduce fatigue and improve quality of sleep while creating safer, more rehabilitative surroundings.

The discussion will include recent case studies, highlighting real-world examples of circadian lighting solutions implemented in mental healthcare and dementia care environments. These studies reveal very promising results, including a reduction in falls of over 40% over two years within an aged care facility – the majority of the reduction in falls being during the night.

Lee will touch on the practical and procedural challenges of delivering human-centric lighting in secure environments, where safety and durability must be balanced with creating supportive, non-institutional spaces. We will look at how modern lighting technologies such as the Melagen system can meet these challenges by delivering targeted blue-enriched and blue-depleted light cycles that work with the natural rhythms of both service users and staff.

This session will offer guidance and insights into creating healthier, human-centric environments for both rehabilitation and ongoing residential care.

Fire doors are a critical component of the fire safety strategy in mental health hospitals, helping to protect lives and maintain a safe environment. They are designed to prevent the spread of fire and smoke between different sections of the ward & hospital. This containment is crucial in protecting patients, staff, and giving everyone more time to evacuate safely.
By containing fire and smoke, fire doors help keep evacuation routes clear and safe. This is particularly important in mental health hospitals where evacuating patients can be problematic
Fire doors also play an important security role
They must meet strict standards and regulations, including those outlined in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Fire doors can be subject to more damage as service users will often take out their frustrations on the door & so they will require regular robust inspections & maintenance which will maintain the fire resistance of the door
This presentation will look at some of the challenges we face ensuring that the fire doors will provide the protection we require but still operate as a door during the day-to-day life of the ward

Did you know that around a quarter of the UK population has a disability?

That’s 16 million people with 80% of those having what is classed as a hidden disability.

This CPD will provide an outline of what inclusivity and diversity mean. Demonstrating the importance of designing spaces with consideration for the needs of the widest range of people, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, to stop them being
overlooked or marginalised in the design process.

The CPD will:

• set the scene for diversity and inclusivity in the UK
• outline current guidance and legislation
• provide an awareness of the 9 protected characteristics
• get advice from interviews with a team of inclusive design champions from across the UK
• discuss design considerations and best practice
• explore illustrative case studies

Specifying purpose-designed furniture is critical in Mental Health environments. Our CPD covers a range of topics from compliance & regulations to destruction testing and our BIM/VR capabilities.

Mersey Care launched The Life Rooms in 2016 in response to challenges highlighted by service users and carers regarding the impact of the social determinants of health on mental health recovery. Since that time, it has evolved as a key strategic vehicle for the organisation’s delivery of the social dimension of its bio-psycho-social care model. Recent evaluation of the model highlights the positive contribution that The Life Rooms makes to mental health outcomes and to reducing people’s reliance on traditional NHS services. A sophisticated matched cohort analysis has highlighted a reduction in mental health care contacts post-engagement with The Life Rooms.

In this session, we’ll explore the journey of co-creating 'Dragons of Afterlands', an evidence-based, augmented reality board game designed to support adolescent socioemotional development and engagement. Developed through a collaborative, iterative design process with young people, psychologists, and educators, the game blends evidence-based content with playful, narrative-driven mechanics to build socioemotional and communication skills. We’ll examine the psychological theories that informed the design, along with emerging findings from academic trials and ongoing pilots within NHS settings and alternative education provision. The session will offer a critical reflection on what it means to create tools that are both engaging and evidence-based.

Arts and mental health charity Hospital Rooms delivers the Digital Art School and quality art materials to all mental health hospitals in England. The growing online platform hosts more than 80 artist-led activities that have been designed with and for patients within mental health inpatient wards where access to creativity is limited.

This accessible and time saving resource for occupational therapists, activity coordinators and wider multi disciplinary teams enhances patient experience on wards allowing participants to express themselves, connect with others and build their confidence.

During this talk, learn more about this national programme as well as how to become a Digital Art School facilitator.

Isabel Ferreira from Pineapple Contracts sits down with Jonathan Baillie to discuss the Levo reduced-ligature recliner - winner of the 2025 Design in Mental Health Award for Product Innovation of the Year.

Matthew Speight from Iteriad sits down with Jonathan Baillie to discuss the North View project for Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust - winner of the 2025 Design in Mental Health Award for Outside Space of he Year.

Yvonne Orphaus from Medical Architecture sits down with Jonathan Baillie to discuss the Seastone CAMHS Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit - winner of the 2025 Design in Mental Health Award for Project of the Year - Future Design.