The Quiet Room

The Quiet Room at North Middlesex Hospital critical care unit can shape the experience of a visitor to a friend or relative on the ward, and affect their wellbeing too. We brought a touch of design to the space. We wanted to humanise it and reflect the high standards of care and respect that the staff wish to show to both patients and their loved ones.

Visitor wellbeing on the critical care unit

Family rooms on critical care units are used on a daily basis for innumerable difficult and sometimes painful conversations between staff and the families of critically ill patients. They are a place for respite, privacy and rest.

At North Middlesex Hospital, this formerly anonymous room needed to be a practical space, but also to be calm and welcoming. It needed to provide seating for up to 8 people and include space for a reclining chair, a tv, bins, a place for information leaflets  etc, and be a comfortable place that would support their wellbeing at difficult times.  

Codesign

Working with staff and users to define the brief we suggested a quiet room in both sound and feeling, where natural materials, a soft palette, and images from nature were combined with acoustic measures, adjustable lighting, improved air quality and flexible seating.

We focused on non clinical finishes made from natural and recycled materials that would work together to create a comforting and welcoming space. Together, this created a considered space that will promote visitor wellbeing and provide a much needed space for respite from the stresses of the critical care unit.