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£6.5 million mental health centre praised - AUDIO
THE innovative design of a £6.5 million health building in Barnsley has been praised for overcoming problems faced by many traditional hospitals.
The Oakwell Centre acute mental health unit in Kendray was designed by Sheffield architects Race Cottam Associates and has been purpose-built to care for patients with mental health problems.
The centre opened six months ago and includes two acute adult wards, a psychiatric intensive care unit, and associated therapy facilities with a range of secure courtyard gardens.
A key design feature of the building is a swing wall, which divides the male and female wards as well as allowing up to six beds to be re-designated to accommodate the varying number of patients in each ward.
The ward is arranged in two Y-shaped wings, mirrored to create separate male and female wards.
Martin Flowers, business unit service manager at the unit, said: "The space also allows more therapeutic work to take place, so staff at the unit have much more usable space to spend time with patients and provide first class care.
"Therapeutic gardens also provide patients with a calming space to spend time away from the wards.
"All these aspects of the design are contributing factors to the improvements in healthcare we have witnessed since the centre's opening."
Click on the green audio icon to hear an interview with Martin Flowers about the design.
What do you think? Add your comment below.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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