Well, we think it’s pretty safe to say that very few of us had any inkling that the pandemic and everything that comes with it was going to last this long! Maybe it was wishful thinking, but as we’re approaching Halloween and, dare we say it… Christmas, phrases like “the new normal” are starting to appear on billboards and adverts – a clear reflection of the fact that this has been around for so long now, that we’ve largely adjusted to it.
Our Project Manager Dan – so intent on keeping his mind sharp and project-focussed while still on furlough – continues looking back on some of the Grosvenor team’s favourite projects to have worked on over the years. In this issue, he’s caught up with our Admin Guru Debbie to discuss a project which has also been around for some time now – the Children’s Outpatients Department at Hinchingbrooke Hospital.
Describe the project
It’s a paediatric ward at Hinchingbrooke Hospital, so it’s occupied by children and up to 17 year olds. When we first saw the space, it was nice and tidy, but a bit plain, so over the last few years, we’ve been gradually making it more and more colourful with Wallglamour in the form of a seaside and underwater theme.
Why did this project stand out to you?
Because it’s been around for three years now! We work with lots of hospitals and lots of charities, and in many cases we’ve had relationships with them for years, but most of the time we are moving from ward to ward… Not the case at Hinchingbrooke – we’ve had four phases of Wallglamour here now, plus Sandie [Ward Manager] won one of our online competitions to get them another piece too!
What do you like about the project?
It’s nice to see plain looking walls transformed into something fun and less scary. Hospitals can be scary enough places for adults, let alone for children. There’s a really nice big mural behind the reception, so patients can see it as soon as they arrive.
Has anything particularly interesting stood out to you over the years?
We added in these amazing window coverings which are translucent, so that you can see the design on both sides of the windows which face out into the ward, but still let the ward staff see through. They get printed and installed in the same way as all of our Wallglamour, but it just meant that the underwater/beach theme flowed through the corridor as well as the rooms.
Have things changed over the phases?
The folder in our files has gotten much bigger? No, they’re a really great hospital to work with, so I’m always happy when I hear that they’d like to carry on the project, and the nice thing about Wallglamour is that it gets printed with any image, to really any size, so the design team here are always able to adapt it to continue the theme through. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger!
What’s next for Hinchingbrooke?!
They recently ordered one of our gaming units, which we know always go down a storm once they’re delivered and set up. After that – fingers crossed for another three years to come!
Phased installations are a great way to further reduce impact on the ward by breaking up the work into smaller chunks which is perfect for busy wards, reception/waiting areas and wards which have more unpredictable admissions. As well as this, phasing is cost effective and we’ve found that over the years, many of our clients have been able to use the uplift of a smaller area as a basis to demonstrate effectiveness and secure funding for a wider scheme. For more information on starting small, click here.
Debbie and Dan can both be contacted along with the rest of the Grosvenor Team to discuss your own project (or just for a chat) by heading to grosvenorinteriors.co.uk or by calling 01892 600400.