Sandwell Hospital - UK

Project details: Sandwell & Birmingham Hospital, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Architect: Paul Scott

Contractor: Ceilings and Interiors (Midlands) Limited

Project size: 300 tiles 

Before re-opening in November 2013, ward D11 at City Hospital of the Sandwell and Birmingham NHS Trust (SWBH) was an assessment ward. It has now been completely refurbished, redesigned and repurposed, and today provides improved care for elderly dementia patients.

Until the work was carried out, the old ward had acoustic issues and was a very noisy environment. Paul Scott, Estates and Technical Project Manager with SWBH turned to Ecophon for a solution: “Having used Ecophon on similar schemes within the Trust, we were confident that their product would perform well for us.”

Ward D11 now has fewer beds than before and provides special spaces away from where patients sleep. They include a quiet room, and activity room, as well as a cinema.

Kay Heritage, Areas Sales Manager at Ecophon explained: “Any healthcare facility needs to be well planned acoustically to help make communication easier – particularly if patients are elderly or confused. To ensure optimal sound absorption and withstand regular cleaning, we installed Hygiene Meditec A C1 and Hygiene Performance A acoustic ceiling tiles.”

Paul Scott added: “The Ecophon product is durable and looks good, while also being clinically acceptable – a great combination in today’s NHS. The product is light and great on the eyes with clean lines and an excellent finish.”

Hygiene Meditec A C1 and Hygiene Performance A have been used successfully to help reduce noise in other areas throughout the hospital. Paul confirmed that further improvements are planned throughout the hospital using the same products.

“We get a great service from Ecophon Area Sales Manager, Kay Heritage, not only with a highly effective product but also good sound advice. She is always willing to advise pre product installation and has a great knowledge. We stipulate Ecophon in our briefs and we’ll continue to do so in future schemes – because it works for us.”