Dementia Friendly Care Ward, Croydon University Hospital

IBI Group was commissioned to redesign and reconfigure three existing seniors’ wards on the third floor of the Jubilee Wing at Croydon University Hospital. Our architects and interior designers developed alterations that allow patients to experience a sensory environment, integrated seating, patient cafés, activity rooms and safe wander loops that mimic local natural landmark, the River Wandle.

Hospital design features include upgraded lighting, improved wayfinding, the introduction of handrails and signage, as well as seating areas that allow patients to feel more relaxed in an unfamiliar place. This was achieved by reforming existing wards and hospital streets that were both poorly organized and either under or over utilized.

Using Building Information Modelling (BIM), a 3D model of the existing facility was used at an early stage in the design to show the client and users how their existing spaces would be remodelled to create the ‘Wandle Trail’ and bespoke seating areas. This was a crucial part of the process as stakeholders could envision changes and the resulting layout.

A strategically phased delivery was necessary to meet budget restrictions as well as service capacity during the winter months. To close more than one ward at a time was unfeasible. The result is a greater delivery of care to dementia patients and their families, as well as a space that inspires stimulation, contemplation and wonder.