It’s hard to quantify the effect that our hospital refurbishment projects can have on people, but one particularly rewarding project was to improve the Eildon Room, the maternity bereavement suite at Borders General Hospital.
The suite was officially re-opened on 30th January 2024. Kirsteen Guthrie, Associate Director of Midwifery at Borders General Hospital, explained the importance of the project:
“When someone loses their baby, it could be at any stage of their journey: it could be an early miscarriage, for example, or they may need to come into hospital for treatment or some kind of abnormality and have to terminate their pregnancy; there are also unfortunate women who come in and discover there is no baby’s heartbeat or their baby sadly dies for whatever reason. To have a specific designated room with ensuite facilities for the woman giving birth and her partner to spend time with their baby at whatever stage, allows them to create memories and gives them much-needed support.
It’s important that the family take the time they need to grieve and be supported. They can stay in the room for as long as they require. When they feel they have closure and are ready to go home, then they leave. This is usually anywhere between a day to 3 days.
Taking the baby home can be particularly traumatic so having a designated room with familiar surroundings similar to a family home makes sure the environment is supportive.
From the staff perspective, it’s important to make sure we have everything we need. Mum may be unwell herself and need support from midwifery and medical treatment from obstetrics staff and at the same time, we have to make sure, if there are other siblings, that they are able to come and spend quality time there.
The room is person-centred: the family can make it memorable in a positive way for them. It has a really long-lasting effect on them if the hospital get it wrong.”
The project was made possible by charity SiMBA (Simpson’s Memory Box Appeal): SiMBA’s purpose is honouring baby loss – they carefully fill boxes with knitted teddies and blankets, along with items parents can use to make memories with their little one before they prepare to say goodbye. They also refurbish Bereavement Suites within hospitals and organise remembrance activities and events.
A number of parents raised funds and several colleagues undertook the Kiltwalks which was the biggest fundraiser.
SiMBA then got in touch with Grosvenor and asked us to revamp the room.
Our designer at Grosvenor Interiors, Victoria Boulton, explained more about the room design:
“SiMBA rooms have a common theme: SiMBA wanted a look that could be rolled out to all their delivery suites in their partner hospitals – i.e. the image of the forget-me-not, so we designed the room around that image and developed a colour palette and finishes to embellish it.
We needed to include accommodation and storage for the mum and dad but it was important to also include storage for equipment used by the staff so we used a two-pronged approach to ensure everyone was accommodated.
The design included a very soft image which creates a calming effect. This soft muted image also affords a gentle background for any photos of the baby. We then used paint colours taken from the image and included a desk in a neutral colour.
There is a beverage bay, bottle fridge and wardrobe – all for the patients – rather like a boutique hotel. There is also a double sofa bed. After the delivery, the room goes back to being like a quiet hotel room – this makes it feel less intrusive. We also fitted a new solid door set to allow soundproofing so the users of the room can’t overhear the joy of other parents who may have had a successful birth.
The whole feel of the room allows privacy and meets everyone’s needs. There is an ensuite bathroom as well as tea and coffee making facilities.
The hand wash basin is set in laminated furniture which also houses shelving and storage. It matches the rest of the room, creating a calmer space. All medical equipment can be tucked away in a base unit on castors, allowing the staff to put items away if they don’t need to be seen: this helps to reduce the feeling of being in a hospital space.
The room features an over canopy light panel with a switch that mum can operate to add soft accent lighting. The main room lighting is also on a dimmer – these key things create a warmer atmosphere than the harsh lights of a regular hospital room and the soft colours keep it calmer and warmer and less like a hospital.
The room is finished with timber effect flooring and manifestation on the windows adds privacy and uses butterfly images provided by SiMBA.
We even matched the timber for the room and ensuite so everything was the same finish – these subtle details make such a big difference in terms of seeing the room as a complete interior.
The forget-me-not image repeats again in the bathroom to maintain the sense of calm.
The overall feeling of the room is that of a calming, supportive, warm atmosphere. We want to put our arms around the family and make sure they feel safe – so it’s a nice environment but not too memorable, as we are keen to avoid creating negative memory association”
Kirsteen told us “Staff are delighted with the room. There is plenty of cupboard space, which is important because everything should remain in the room, so the family don’t need to keep coming out. The SiMBA memory boxes can go into the cupboard. A camera is also provided: whilst most people use their phones these days, it’s good to have. Having a soothing environment for the photos allows the family to have a nicer memory”.
The team at Grosvenor feel devastated that any family should have to go through such a difficult event, but at least we can soften the edges of their experience for them.