Aiding recovery and changing perceptions

Here Joe Forster, a highly experienced mental health nurse practitioner, and chair of the Design in Mental Health Network, which has brought together designers and users of mental healthcare facilities since 2005, and James Lee, event director at Step Exhibitions, explain why the Network was established, and outline some of the key features visitors to this exciting new sector-specific event can look forward to.

As chair of the Design in Mental Health Network (DIMHN), I would like to invite HEJ’s readers, and all those working in the estates and facilities sector and the associated construction and supply chains with involvement in mental healthcare facility design, construction, and maintenance, or with an interest in the field, to the first Design in Mental Health Conference & Exhibition to be held for some years,” says Joe Forster. “Next month’s show should be a great opportunity to join with the growing network of people who care about the role environment plays in recovery. Networking is about learning from each other, and, by coming together at this event, we will signpost new ways of collaborating for improvement and innovation in design.” Joe Forster himself first entered the nursing profession in 1978 as a student nurse at the North Manchester School of Nursing, and is currently a clinical lead nurse at Mersey Care NHS Trust. He has particular research interests in expressed emotion and design, and is a strong believer in involving service users in service provision and innovation and design, and the recipient of a number of awards in this field. He is also a visiting expert and critic on the postgraduate architecture programme at Liverpool John Moores University. He explains that the Design in Mental Health Network was established in 2005, originally as the Designers in Mental Health Care Settings Network, after leading mental healthcare professionals involved in a project to design and refurbish inpatient and low secure mental healthcare units being undertaken in a partnership between the Department of Design at the University of Central Lancashire, staff, and patients, were told by many health professionals that, while they were often asked to oversee refurbishment and new build schemes, they frequently possessed little design knowledge on which to base important decisions. Designers of mental healthcare facilities were also keen to gain a better understanding of what service users required, while service users and carers needed guidance on how they could best contribute when asked to give advice. Joe Forster explained: “As a result, the University’s Department of Design funded a two-year initiative called the ‘Think Project’, which aimed to highlight the key issues, and encourage those involved in design to think about its impact, and promote ‘thoughtful approaches to designing products used in these settings’. The Design in Mental Health Network was subsequently established – for anyone with an interest in designing mental health units and settings – from architects, artists, and designers, to NHS estates and medical personnel, service users, and nursing staff. “The Network is not only a valuable resource for professionals such as architects and healthcare estates personnel involved in the design and specification of buildings, products, and services. It is equally aimed at those involved in design who do not see it as their primary function, but have nevertheless been asked to manage or advise on design in mental healthcare settings. We see it as an invaluable information sharing facility.” Membership of the Network is free, but members must register to receive all the relevant information. If you are interested in joining the Network and receiving information about its activities, visit www.dimhn.org.

Improving facilities, transforming attitudes