Client: Trafford Heathcare Trust
Type of works: supplied 450m² of Decosheet wall protection.
Caring for patients aged 16 and under, the new Children’s Resource Centre at Trafford General Hospital brings together the hospital’s paediatric services under one roof in specially designed facilities. A key feature of the interiors is the fun, decorative theme. This was created using SPM branded wall protection and Gerflor’s flooring products as part of an integrated design involving Gerflor’s Buying Solutions’ approved installation partner, Crown.
Both Gerflor and Crown have extensive experience of delivering innovative and cost-effective wall protection and flooring solutions in the healthcare sector and had previously worked with the Trafford Healthcare Trust. In the case of the centre, which includes a 12-bed day ward for children and young people, a spacious outpatients’ suite and a playroom and teenagers’ area, the brief required a strong decorative design element combined with products that perform to the highest standards.
Gerflor illustrated potential solutions using case studies of installations from previous projects. With these in mind, children at a local school were invited to come up with a theme. The designs were then co-ordinated to produce a solution that could be practicably delivered by Mike King, Capital Project Manager (Trafford Heathcare Trust).
The ideas were exciting and, as a result, the reception desk is shaped like a drum kit and the nursing station has been built in the form of a piano. This musical theme was continued in the wall and door protection through the use of inlaid designs.
Working closely with hospital managers, Gerflor’s unique in-house design service used CAD and CNC machines to produce precision-cut decorative frescoes from SPM Decosheet incorporating musical notes and instruments. This facility offered flexibility and fast turnaround times so the finished elements could be delivered to site quickly and efficiently. The resulting scheme is fun, and yet highly functional, and has the ultimate objective of helping to aid the recovery of sick children.
In all, 450m² of Decosheet wall protection was used. Hygienic and durable, it offers high impact and scratch resistance so damage from trolley and bed traffic is minimised and little maintenance is required. Decosheet was employed in conjunction with SPM Protecta 2 corner protection and, in the outpatients corridor, with Escort tubular hand rail. The musical theme was also incorporated into the SPM door protection on 16 door leaves in the day ward, while a further 43 door leaves in the outpatients area were inlaid with room numbers. In addition, 12 SPM bed kits were installed to protect the walls within the wards.
Safety, hygiene, ease of maintenance and noise management were all key factors in the choice of Gerflor flooring products. These were selected to complement the wall protection and to differentiate the various areas within the centre. In the corridors, Nera Contract Wood was employed to provide a warm feel with a Taralay Impression Papyrus boarder giving a modern finish. Taralay Impression was also used to highlight play and waiting areas and to provide coloured feature inlays. The wards were differentiated using Taralay Initial Pacifica with the colours Coast, Seagull and Mout inlaid together. Gerflor’s Tarasafe safety flooring provided the ideal solution for the wet areas, the bathrooms and sluice.
Importantly, by working directly with the Trust as a partnership to project manage and offer the complete installation, Gerflor and Crown were able to deliver a reliable and cost effective scheme under the Buying Solutions Framework without the need for expensive consultants - an important consideration when NHS budgets are under pressure.
Mike King, Manager Capital Projects (Trafford Heathcare Trust), comments: “I’ve used Gerflor’s SPM and flooring products before so I was aware of it’s quality and the extensive range of colour schemes. When we took our ideas to Gerflor for this project, they came up to scratch and ticked all the boxes so we’re happy with the result.”