The hospital is designed with a concourse/street of which there are a range of public facilities and non-clinical and clinical areas. This section details the public and nonclinical areas at or leading from the main entrance.
Patient Affairs /General Office
This area deals with administrative aspects of service user affairs including storage of cash and valuables. At specific times during the day service users can access their cash and the hospital's petty cash service will be provided. There is a facility for 'out of hours' depositing of service user cash and valuables. Service user and petty cash monies for all clinical/departmental areas are centralised and managed by this office within the building in accordance with Trust Standing Financial Instructions, and supporting procedures.
Shop
Run by the Richmond Fellowship the shop provides a newsagent function including the sale of magazines, toiletries, snacks and personal care goods. The shop does not sell any over the counter medications (eg paracetamol or cough linctus) or tobacco products (including e-cigarettes).
Sparky's Cafe
Sparky's is a pioneering cafe challenging mental health stigma and promoting social inclusion. Sparky's is run by the national charity Richmond Fellowship.
Open seven days a week 8 am to 8pm, the staff at Sparky's will be on hand serving a delicious high quality menu at competitive prices as well as a fine selection of hot and cold drinks.
Yet Sparky's is far more than your average cafe, it's a community space to promote mental health awareness and challenge the stigma surrounding it. Every transaction at Sparky's will be an opportunity to speak about mental health and for guests to talk about their experiences and seek advice.
The cafe is run by volunteers and apprentices, offering opportunities for people living or recovering from mental health problems and people with disadvantaged backgrounds.
Sparky's Cafe virtual tour
Multi-use room
This space is large and adaptable enough for groups of service users, staff and others to be able to use in a flexible way for a range of functions. These often include:
- Yoga
- Meditation and relaxation classes
- 5 aside Football
- Basketball
- Badminton
- Staff training
- Fundraising events and small fayres.
A multi-media system is also installed in this room for both visual and audio, capable of supporting presentations, video, television and cinema displays.
Multi-use room virtual tour
Fitness Room
Adjacent to the multi-use room is a fitness suite.
Access to general health facilities is recognised as being difficult for people with severe mental illness.
The introduction of some medication has resulted in excessive weight gain in some service users. It is therefore an important part of their treatment programme that this is managed to prevent any deterioration in their physical wellbeing.
The benefits of exercise are recognised in mental health recovery.
Programmes of exercise will be facilitated by trained health and leisure co-ordinators and teachers or trainers who may be in-house specialist staff or visiting therapists.
Fitness room virtual tour
Reflective space
The reflective space room is open with free access to those who require it. This means that service users who have been risk assessed as being able to be in the hospital street can use the facility as required.
With appropriate facilities (including an ablutions area) this room is used for contemplation or prayer as required and is accessible to all service users, staff and visitors regardless of faith.
A Qibla indicator identifies the direction of prayer for specific faiths.
Reflective space virtual tour
Family visiting facilities
Two family visiting rooms suitable for children are available close to main reception which staff can book via reception.
Children visiting will take place on a pre-arranged basis.
Both rooms are bright, have toys available for smaller children, are furnished with comfortable seating and have an area where visitors and service users can make hot and cold drinks.
Family visiting virtual tour
Mental Health Act Suite
The Mental Health Act suite has two meeting rooms and associated interview rooms for Mental Health Act Tribunals and meetings. This area also provides office accommodation for the Mental Health Act Administrator and support staff.
The tribunal rooms are located adjacent to interview rooms so that solicitors and other professionals can have private conversations with their clients. Used primarily for tribunals and manager appeals, and also for general meetings and conferencing, these rooms are designed to accommodate up to a maximum of 16 people, seated at a boardroom style table.