Jerry Smith, director of Primera Life, a specialist designer and manufacturer of anti-ligature door and window hardware, explains how the company develops and manufactures tailor-made access control systems for a range of providers of community health, specialist mental health, and learning disability services. Balancing safety, security, and an anti-ligature design with pleasing aesthetics, the company’s products are designed to provide a range of benefits for service-users and staff alike.
In the provision of mental health facilities, we are, thankfully, a very long way away from the Victorian asylum. Over the decades, as knowledge of mental ill-health and its treatment advanced, we made progress towards smaller units which recognised the differences in conditions and treatment approaches required. In more recent years, attitudes towards mental illness have also begun to change, and, with that, has come a recognition that the treatment environment can have a considerable impact on the success of therapies. Ward design – even down to the details of colour and décor – is now known to influence recovery. So, step by step, things are beginning to change.
Most mental health units now have individual private bedrooms. As well as providing the essential privacy and dignity that is enshrined in human rights law, these rooms offer a safe refuge and security for personal possessions, and somewhere to – temporarily at least – call home. This idea of ‘home’ is important because allowing patients control over certain aspects of their routine and environment can be very beneficial. With control, confidence grows, people feel better, and their condition can begin to improve. Having more control, even over the smallest issues, can be an important step in building the responsibility and self-reliance needed for life outside a mental health unit.
The privilege that many of us take for granted – that of having a secure front door – with control over access to our own space – is now, increasingly, being made available to the service-user. The benefits are seen in a more relaxed atmosphere and reduced tensions, all of which is likely to lead to better patient outcomes. In addition, demands on unit staff are reduced when they are no longer constantly locking and unlocking doors. That, in turn, frees up time for more productive or therapeutic activities.
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