Publish date: 14 February 2024
Modern matron Tonia Smith was one of the first to view the new wellbeing service at Mossley Hill this week. Tonia, along with the site estates team Deana Huizer and Margy James joined the construction workforce on site at the launch of their immersive mental health ‘pod’. Set up with beach sand and a seaside feel, the virtual reality service from our partners is a way for a traditionally hard to reach group – construction workers – to access health and wellbeing at work.
The Immersive Pod allows people to take a break from their working day and escape to the beach for 20 minutes. Each individual can create their own personal experience by choosing their preferred background noise and lighting, while having access to a range of health and wellbeing services available through inbuilt technology.
Our Estates Lead Elaine Darbyshire said: “We’re delighted to see this site coming together and ending dormitory wards in Liverpool. This is Mersey Care’s fifth hospital build since 2016 and we understand the impact that positive care environments can have on recovery. As a trust with a strong history of mental health care, initiatives like the Immersive Pod are welcome and demonstrate that wellbeing is rightly in the mainstream of construction projects.”
Graham are Mersey Care’s contractors for our state-of-the-art mental health facility being built in Mossley Hill via a building contract with Developer, Liverpool and Sefton Health Partnership. At the launch Tonia spoke of the importance of good mental wellbeing and initiatives like this to enable people to access information and seek advice.
Peter Reavey, regional director at the construction firm Graham, told us: “We are delighted to be piloting the immersive pod on our Mossley Hill mental health facility project. We hope the site team finds this experience not only enjoyable, but beneficial for their mental health and wellbeing. Graham’s aim is to be able to roll out this initiative across other project sites soon.”
Tonia and the team then toured the construction site to see how the development is progressing. The new inpatient facility will phase out traditional shared dormitory mental health wards to provide 80 single bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. Throughout the hospital, there will be an emphasis on providing therapeutic spaces with light and airy environments as well as facilities for family visitation and multi-faith worship.
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