Design in Mental Health Network

P+HS Architects are part of the Design in Mental Health Network (DiMHN): a not-for-profit, social enterprise company with charitable aims open to anyone with an interest in the design of mental health facilities. It does mean anyone – from architects to nursing staff, from building contractors to service users.

DiMHN is driven by one critical fact: design matters. It isn’t a nice to have, or an optional extra, but is vital to the well-being of everyone who works in, or uses the services of the mental health sector. Step by step, conversation by conversation, action by action, it is making a difference, learning from everyone and improving safety and patient outcomes.

P+HS believe this work and collaborative ethos is hugely valuable and we provide support in a variety of ways. In addition to her “day job”, Cath Lake is a Director on the Board of the Design in Mental Health Network, and we’re actively involved in some of the work the Network does. In particular, we’ve contributed to DIMHN’s Testing and Innovation workstream which is currently working with the BRE to develop product testing standards specifically for mental health environments. Cath has also led the development of a Stakeholder Engagement Toolkit which provides a “Best Practice” guide for Trusts to involve Stakeholders in the design of healthcare environments. Find out more here Design in Mental Health Network