Would better buildings help fix the NHS? The story of Britain's hospitals, from grand designs to counting the costs
https://theconversation.com/would-better-buildings-help-fix-the-nhs-the-story-of-britains-hospitals-from-grand-designs-to-counting-the-costs-208090
#Nhs75
I live in Luxembourg and have now needed surgery twice over here. The 'wards' here have a maximum of 2 beds in them but I believe they are still building hospitals in the UK with wards with 10 - 20 beds.
I should have thought that enhanced risk of cross infection between patients would have informed the designers choice of ward sizes in the UK but not so apparently!
Yes I heard that the use of stainless steel door handles and the like was a very retrograde step as the old brass handles and door plates actually kill bacteria!
From personal experience, from the perspective of a patient, I can say that I infinitely prefer the arrangements over here to those in the UK!
I was terribly impressed with the hand washing and disinfecting rigour in the hospitals over here in Luxembourg where I was a patient
and what I am talking about is 'wards' with a maximum of 2 beds, doors you can open without touching them with your hands. Each room having its own dedicated WC and shower along with a TV set per patient.
@Paulos_the_fog @magdelenehall bit more nuanced than that. What we'd describe as wards can be 24 beds but they generally have bays of 4 or less, often with a dedicated member of staff in each bay, which sounds more like your idea of a ward. Airbourne cross infection is an issue, but so are formites which are often passed through contact with surfaces. So door handles etc can be as big a transfer of disease as air.