NHS Golden Jubilee’s Eye Centre is leading the way in making healthcare facilities more accessible in the future.

The Golden Jubilee Eye Centre, which will carry out approximately 18,000 cataract procedures a year for patients across Scotland, has put patients at the heart of its design with a unique approach to providing a range of visual, tactile and auditory cues to make sure it meets the varying needs of NHS Golden Jubilee’s diverse patient demographic. 

To make the new Centre as accessible as possible, the following has been introduced:

• Height-adjustable self check-in kiosks with multiple languages and a range of accessibility features.

• Integrated hearing loop systems with associated accessible signage available within the self-check-in zone, quiet room, education rooms and staff interaction points within outpatients and surgery.

• High contrast signage elements such as embossed text, braille, tactile dementia friendly symbols and integrated hearing loop signage.

• Impairment and dementia friendly coloured and tonal zoning throughout the inside of the Eye Centre to create distinction and assist with wayfinding, navigation and orientation.

• Visual impairment and dementia friendly ‘earth theme’ flooring throughout all patient areas providing high contrast definition between circulation and waiting areas.

• Integrated coloured/lettered wayfinding floor lines providing a continuous, legible and reassuring path of travel between key facilities and departments.

• Dark colours in toilets to reduce glare and provide visual clarity for the detection of grab rails, fixtures/fittings and the toilet seat in line with best practice recommendations.

• In a Scottish first, NHS Golden Jubilee have installed an Audio descriptive toilet providing a descriptive overview of features within the accessible toilet located in the main entrance waiting area.

• A range of high contrast seating options in accordance with Best Practice guidance to accommodate the diverse needs of our patient demographic.

   

Rob White, Service Design and Equalities lead at NHS Golden Jubilee, commented: “Interior design has played a huge role in making the Golden Jubilee Eye Centre accessible to all but we have also introduced some innovative aspects to help our patients.

“Our self-service kiosks are height adjustable with enhanced accessibility functionality including voice guidance, pinch and zoom magnification, colour contrast themes, screen reader, voice recognition – available in a suite of ten languages to cater for our diverse patient demographic.

“We have also introduced accessible bespoke vending machines which feature an industry first for accessible text height viewing.”

Chief Executive of NHS Golden Jubilee, Jann Gardner, added: “As an organisation dedicated to providing a positive patient experience, it is standard for NHS Golden Jubilee to involve patients, public and third party organisations in our building and service developments.

“Therefore, it was really important for us to make sure that the patients having appointments or cataract surgery, experience a facility that is welcoming, reassuring and is easy to navigate regardless of any disability or issue they may have.”

The £15.8 Million NHS Golden Jubilee Eye Centre is part of the Scottish Government’s Elective Centre Programme.

The accessibility elements introduced by NHS Golden Jubilee have been shared across NHSScotland to shape the development of future healthcare facilities.

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