The Brook co-designed alongside people with lived experience
As a region, we are working to improve acute mental health care services for people with a learning disability and autistic people, bringing them closer to their family and friends. The long-term ambition in the South West remains to reduce inpatient admission, with people remaining at home or within their local community wherever possible.
However, on occasion, there will be individuals with a learning disability and autistic people where even with reasonable adjustments, the environment of a mainstream hospital would not provide optimal care and treatment. It is this group of people for whom the provision of individual, adaptable, inpatient facilities is being developed. For example, people with autism and hypersensitivity. It will also help to prevent out of area admissions.
NHS England South West has secured £40.5m capital investment to replace out of region inpatient beds with appropriate, acute mental health provision in region - the Learning Disability and Autism Bed Capacity Programme. Two capital developments were approved in two locations which were considered best placed to deliver the beds - one in the north (Bristol - at Blackberry Hill Hospital) and one in the south (Devon - at Langdon Hospital in Dawlish), to provide close access for everyone living in the region. Beds can be used by anyone in the South West, regardless of location/patient origin and only people who would benefit from treatment in hospital will be admitted.
The Brook, a new 10-bed inpatient unit at Langdon Hospital will provide high-quality care in a therapeutically-enhanced environment, co-designed by users and carers with lived experience:
- Stunning location, with countryside walks and access to cycle/footpaths to the beach
- Gardens - private, sensory and activity-based
- Tree planting
- Outdoor recreational equipment
- Ensuite bedroom and living area
- Ease of access to outdoor space
- Designed to resemble a residential building
Design of The Brook
The Brook has been co-designed by users and carers with lived experience at all levels and will have ongoing evaluation after opening by those with lived experience.
Alongside our senior specialist clinicians, nursing staff, estates and facilities reps we have experts by experience being consulted on every detail of the design, which has been highly commended at the Design in Mental Health Awards 2024. Visits to other new exemplar units have been undertaken and their advice incorporated into our design.
The enhanced therapeutic environment has been considered in great detail. Every patient has a living/bedroom space with an ensuite and a kitchenette. This opens onto their own private garden area. There are also a quiet/sensory garden, a visitor garden, and an activity garden.
The Brook is aligned so no bright direct sunlight reaches into patient rooms but there is plenty of natural and soft/warm electric lighting throughout including roof lights and windows in corridors. The underfloor heating provides warmth in winter and helps cool the building in summer.
It resembles a residential building and will be set in a quiet, safe, landscaped space with trees and wild flower planting to enhance the beautiful row of already-established horse chestnut trees. This will provide a great setting for patient recovery and staff wellbeing.
The space available will enable a large range of occupational therapies supported by two sensory rooms and a sensory gym.
The interior design has received a great deal of attention to ensure the colour palette is low stimulus with warm, welcoming, natural colours and the paints used are in a matt finish so do not reflect unwelcome light. The furnishings incorporate a lot of natural wood finishes.
The space available will enable a large range of occupational therapies supported by two sensory rooms and a sensory gym.
The interior design has received a great deal of attention to ensure the colour palette is low stimulus with warm, welcoming, natural colours and the paints used are in a matt finish so do not reflect unwelcome light. The furnishings incorporate a lot of natural wood finishes.
Naming of The Brook
A name has now been selected for our new £20m unit at Langdon in Dawlish, which will support people with mental health needs and a learning disability or autism. We have also selected names for its three patient areas.
Our selection panel comprised a small number of people with lived experience, together with a Senior Staff Nurse from the current Additional Support Unit (ASU), who shared feedback from the ASU staff, as well as families and carers. We are very grateful to the panel members for taking the time to help us make this important decision, and to staff and other stakeholders who suggested possible names.
The names that have been selected are:
Unit name: The Brook
Patient areas: Hazel, Oak and Willow.
The Brook relates to a location in Dawlish with which many local people will be familiar - it's also known as Dawlish Water. The patient area names have been chosen not only because of their link to nature but also because they are short words, simple to write and say and have different vowel sounds. There is also an ambitious tree-growing programme under way at Langdon.