West Hall care home wins national design award

Staff at Anchor’s West Hall care home in West Byfleet, Surrey, are celebrating this week after winning a national design award.

West Hall specialises in dementia care and has won the Best Interior Dementia Design category at the National Dementia Care Awards 2012.

Prior to West Hall being opened by Anchor’s Patron Princess Alexandra in July this year, engineers and dementia specialists worked closely to create an environment which increases quality of life for older people and that facilitates independent living.

Anchor’s Dementia Consultant Victoria Metcalfe said everyone was thrilled to have won this national accolade.

She said: “We know the design is such a positive enabling environment for older people but to get official recognition is marvellous.

“It is amazing to receive our first national award after being open only three months.

“The pioneering design is matched by the staff’s commitment to provide high quality care. We are all so happy.

“There are more than 15,000 people in Surrey with dementia and this figure is set to increase by 30 per cent by 2021 so the top notch services West Hall provides will help many people with the condition.”

Ms Metcalfe said West Hall included many design features aimed specifically at helping people with dementia. These include sensors built into bed frames to monitor individuals’ sleep patterns and bedtime bathroom routines so if someone falls out of bed, staff are alerted immediately.

Residents are able to fill memory boxes built into the entrance of each bedroom with their personal items, such as family pictures, which help them recognise their room. Uniquely patterned tactile panels by their doors and distinct colour schemes on each floor also help with recognition.

Transparent panelled cupboards are in some bedrooms so that older people with dementia can identify where their personal belongings are kept.

The other facilities at West Hall include a library and hair salon which provide comfort and a sense of normality to residents, with a designed quiet room offering a peaceful retreat for those looking to relax away from their room.

The central bistro and private dining room broaden the choice for meal times, while providing the perfect place for family and friends to meet and dine together with residents.

Duncan Cryer, from engineering and design consultants Atkins who worked on West Hall’s design, said: “This luxury care home looks and feels like a comfortable high end residence with all the essential functional features to enable Anchor’s staff to deliver the high standards of care residents need.”