LIGHTING
L ILLUMINATING MENTAL HEALTHCARE Whitecroft Lighting, a commercial lighting manufacturer that has specialised in healthcare for 40 years, was chosen by global construction business Multiplex to upgrade the lighting in Peterborough City Hospital Edith Cavell Campus for North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust. Here, Karen Bramman, Healthcare Sales Director at Whitecroft Lighting, who has managed over 70 projects for specialist mental health facilities, describes mental health as one of the most nuanced and complex healthcare environments.
ighting mental health facilities is both a challenge and opportunity for Whitecroft Lighting. A challenge because of the wide range of specialist needs required by service users and staff, but also an opportunity because of the significant contribution that lighting can make to treatment and recovery.
Specialist knowledge The challenges are influenced by several factors: some specific to the needs of mental health service users and staff, some technology related and others more pervasive to wider healthcare and industries – such as the rising cost of energy and the drive for net zero. In 2020, the NHS pledged to become net-zero carbon by 2040 and launched a Green Plan outlining its expectations for carbon reduction and energy operational efficiency. There is a particular focus on reducing scope one and two emissions across its entire estate by making sure companies across the supply chain embed sustainable practices into their plans and approach when considering new-build, retrofit or just small area upgrades. There is also an increasing focus on the whole-life carbon impact of building materials, which includes embodied carbon – the emissions generated from the sourcing, manufacturing and transportation of products. This, of course, includes emissions linked to lighting, mechanical and electrical (M&E), and something that is driving Whitecroft Lighting to reimagine its products.
All change in health and mental health At Peterborough’s Mental Health Unit, I see the culmination of two decades of clinical research and feedback – plus the knowledge and innovation accumulated from over 70 Whitecroft mental health lighting projects across the UK.
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