Big improvements coming to Sheffield mental health ward

20 May 2021

Building work is moving at pace at the Michael Carlisle Centre in Sheffield to get Dovedale 2 ward ready for staff and service users to use it.

The new improvements will create a therapeutic environment to help service users at Sheffield Health and Social Care (SHSC) recover and live with their mental health. The new improvements have a homely, therapeutic feel and are designed to help people get better quicker and learn techniques to help them stay well for longer.

The overall improvements include:

  • A landscaped garden space with raised beds and a planting scheme designed with aromatherapy and relaxation in mind with herbs, flowers and plants that service users can get active and involved with. 
  • Improved staff rest facilities.
  • A new gym designed by physiotherapists and art therapists.
  • 12 bedrooms.
  • Access on to the garden and lounges, a TV and computer game consoles.
  • Separate clinic and treatment rooms.
  • A refreshed multi-disciplinary team meeting room.
  • Rooms have been designed to be multifunctional to allow for more activities

Plus, SHSC have already been making lots of other improvements to make the environment the best it can be. They’ve:

  • replaced all the old windows on the ward and the temperature in rooms can be controlled individually.
  • installed new artwork with help from our art therapists to give the best possible healing environment.
  • installed cloaking in the garden to give it the feel of a wide open space, with rubberised tarmac in the patio area.
  • added new fixed bedroom furniture, dressing tables and wardrobes.
  • created a de-escalation space or ‘green room’ that staff have helped to equip.

Riann Parr, who will be the new ward manager of Dovedale 2, is looking forward to caring for our service users in the new environment. Riann said: “It is so great to see all the hard work coming together on our new ward. We are really looking forward to caring for our service users in the new space. Seeing new furniture in our bedrooms makes it feel like a proper home from home and I am looking forward to the team and our service users getting out and using the garden space.  This will be a brilliant new place for us to care for our service users.”