Thursday 17th May
Accident and Emergency Departments - Designing for efficiency, dignity and safety.
Venue: RICS, Great George Street, London, SW1P 3AD
Time; 7.45 - 10.15am
Over 21 million people attend A&E departments in England each year. In January, 2 million patients attended with around 81,000 waiting more than four hours for a bed. As stated in HBN 15-01, it is important to understand why people attend A&E departments as the number and type of patients attending the department will influence the design required.
Come and join our expert panel as we discuss:
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How do we tackle the issue of patient flow and wait times through efficient design?
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How do we ensure safety, security and dignity for patients, families and staff?
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What considerations need to be given for mass casualties?
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Can we create a waiting space that provides a calming environment yet still be efficient?
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Is modern ICT changing our approach to A&E design?
Speakers
Louisa Williams
Art In Site
Louisa is an art consultant with over 20 years of experience working across commercial and public sectors, including retail, airports, and healthcare. She founded Art in Site in 2003 after recognizing the need for more strategically-minded art schemes for hospitals. Since then, Art in Site has produced work that: connects with the emotional needs of patients, visitors, staff; helps services to become more functionally efficient; and provides meaningful outcomes around which shared culture can grow.
Together with co-director Martin Jones, Louisa has pioneered methods aimed at coordinating art and design processes together with other teams (such as architecture, lighting, wayfinding, and infection control) in order to deliver benefits to the service community beyond the scope of the traditional art producer/consultant. Recently, this approach has extended into working with psychologists and mental health experts, developing new tools and environmental interventions aimed at supporting staff in delivering better care.
Wendy James
HKS
Architect licensed with the Architectural Institute of British Columbia in Canada, and a Registered Nurse specialized in Emergency and Critical Care, with the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia.
With over 14 years of combined experience in architecture and nursing, I am dedicated to delivering healthcare projects that are efficient, responsive, and reflective of best practice principles. My experience as both a designer and healthcare provider has given me a comprehensive understanding of how to transform the clinical process into an effective architectural design. I firmly believe that good architectural planning plays a significant role in positive outcomes for both the patient and clinical staff.
Chris Thornton
ADP Architecture
Chris leads the ADP Architecture healthcare sector work, having completed over 130 projects for Macmillan Cancer Support, and he has built many strong relationships with public and private healthcare providers across the country. His understanding of patient needs and the clinical challenges that face many healthcare institutions is extensive. As a result, Chris is an important practice-wide resource for furthering our work in the healthcare sector, being an active member of Architects for Health, IHEEM and DIMH Forum, often participating in speaking slots at conferences.