Mid-Argyll Community Hospital & Integrated Care Centre: Elevating Mental Health Care with Symphony Doorsets and Freeswing Closers
Creating spaces where safety meets warmth—Discover how Safehinge Primera’s Symphony Doorsets and Freeswing door closers transformed NHS Highland’s Mental Health facility.
At the heart of NHS Highland’s vision for Mid-Argyll Community Hospital was a commitment to enhancing patient safety without compromising comfort.
The hospital sought robust, non-institutional solutions to support recovery during a major refurbishment of the acute inpatient ward. Shoal’s Symphony Door Sets LINK and our Free Swing Door Closers LINK provide the ideal blend of safety, ease of use, and aesthetic appeal.
Designed with input from clinicians, architects, and users alike, these solutions helped create a homely environment that prioritised both security and patient dignity.
Care provider: NHS Highland at Mid-Argyll Community Hospital and Integrated Care Centre
Project type: Major Refurbishment
Mental Health Discipline: Acute Inpatient Mental Health
Partner: IDP Architects
Products supplied:
Managing the expansive Mid-Argyll Community Hospital, NHS Highland faced a unique challenge in their acute inpatient Mental Health ward.
As a community cornerstone, the hospital needed to reimagine its spaces to accommodate vulnerable individuals’ needs better.
Working closely with IDP Architects, NHS Highland sought to create a safe, welcoming environment to enhance patient observation, support recovery, and ensure compliance with Mental Health safety standards.
With these goals in mind, Shoal stepped in with our expertise in Mental Health environments to deliver a comprehensive door-set solution.
The Challenge
NHS Highland’s primary objective was to design a safe, functional inpatient ward that avoided an institutional feel. The main challenges included:
Creating an Observational-Friendly Environment:
Conventional door solutions didn’t give NHS Highland the visibility they needed for patient monitoring. Propping doors open created fire safety risks, yet frequent closing and opening reduced the homely feel.
Ensuring Accessibility and Ease of Use:
Patients often experienced strength limitations, which made doors with closing forces challenging to handle. The hospital needed doors that would remain easy to open yet responsive in emergencies.
Preserving a Homelike Atmosphere:
Hospital doors can often feel clinical. NHS Highland wanted a solution that would feel non-restrictive, supporting patient comfort and engagement without compromising on safety.
The Solution
Safehinge Primera collaborated with NHS Highland and IDP Architects to ensure that each project detail aligned with the hospital’s therapeutic and practical needs. Our solution focused on two key products: the Symphony doorsets LINK and Freeswing door closers LINK.
Together, these solutions created a secure yet warm environment conducive to patient recovery.
Symphony Doorsets
The Symphony doorsets were selected for their robust anti-ligature properties and aesthetic appeal.
Rigorously tested to meet Mental Health safety standards, they are designed to withstand heavy use while maintaining a non-intrusive appearance. This makes them particularly suitable for the inpatient ward, where balancing resilience with a homelike feel is crucial.
Freeswing Door Closers
Shoal Freeswing door closers, developed in partnership with Dormakaba, proved ideal for the ward’s needs:
Low Opening Force: Doors can be left ajar with no closing force until the fire alarm is triggered, allowing patients to feel less restricted.
Fire Safety Compliance: Connected to the hospital’s fire alarm system, the closers activate only during an emergency, ensuring doors self-close automatically when needed.
Head-Mounted Design: Our door closers worked seamlessly with the facility’s underfloor heating, avoiding floor-mounted mechanisms and eliminating the need for structural modifications.
These product choices provided functionality and aesthetic appeal while addressing the hospital’s need for reliable, patient-friendly solutions.
Impact
The impact of Safehinge Primera’s solutions was immediately apparent:
Improved Patient Observation: With doors capable of staying ajar without creating fire safety risks, staff had improved visibility and oversight. The result was a safer, more manageable environment that reduced stress for patients and care providers.
Enhanced Patient Comfort: Patients benefitted from the gentle Freeswing mechanism, which allowed them to easily open doors, reducing dependency and enhancing their autonomy.
Installation Flexibility: By opting for head-mounted Freeswing closers, the need for floor excavation was eliminated, preserving the hospital’s underfloor heating and avoiding disruptions during installation.
Let’s Build Safer Spaces Together
Safehinge Primera’s innovative approach at Brunswick Ward illustrates our commitment to designing spaces that elevate safety while preserving independence and dignity for individuals with dementia.
By integrating our Symphony doorsets and Passport locksets with thoughtful design and smart technology, we helped Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust create a warm, secure, and supportive environment.
To learn more about our solutions for dementia care environments, explore our Symphony doorsets and Passport locksets here and see how we can support your next project.