The Use of Colour in Healthcare

Using colour to create a healing environment isn’t new and as research shows the correct choice of colour can have a significant impact on both the quality of the patient’s experience, as well as staff well-being.

Using Colour to Reduce Stress

Creating an ambience of calm has tremendous value in hospital settings, particularly in waiting areas where anxiety levels may naturally run high. It’s why Ocura’s large range of coloured antimicrobial vinyl is proving so popular for waiting room furniture.

As Dulux, paint manufacturers and experts on the psychology of colour, point out, when we are feeling stressed we need to reduce visual noise and surround ourselves with tranquil colours that reconnect us with nature. It’s just one of the reasons why calming blues and soft greens that echo the natural world can be so effective in helping to create feelings of tranquillity, even in a busy environment. 

The Heatherwood Hospital

An excellent example is the waiting zones at the new Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot, Berkshire. Here, selective use of colour throughout the interior was used to support clear colour mapping for ease of navigation, along with blended upholstery colours, to create a calm and vibrant modern interior that works with the surrounding landscape. Choices of furniture included Koko, the Arvada® Patient Chair and a range of Longa Modular Seating, all available in a wide range of colours. 

Staff Wellbeing

Of equal importance is the creation of a relaxing and visually appealing area for staff breakout rooms, where busy clinicians can enjoy precious break times for rest and recuperation. Creating a visual break with the use of different colours, as well as the opportunity to sit and relax in comfort is important as staff performance can also be affected by the quality of their immediate visual environment. For example, the highly popular Kilda Armchairs and Sofas not only provide comfortable seating but are available in a wide range of colours that can provide a break from the routine colours of the ward and enhance the feeling of restoration with the use of alternative colourways.

Choosing the Right Colour for the Right Environment

The growth in recent years of evidence-based design highlights the need to enhance patient well-being, not just through clinical care, but also through the environment, and choosing the right colour for the right environment is now understood to play an important role in optimal wellbeing. 

As healthcare design inevitably becomes more sophisticated, the importance of the effect of colour on well-being is steadily gaining recognition. It means that the choice of colour is now a significant consideration in the purchasing process, a factor the Ocura sales team understands very well.

The days of bland and uninteresting hospital décor are gone. What we now have is an opportunity to create an attractive, colourful, and well-balanced environment that is entirely supportive of optimal well-being for all.

To discuss your project reach out to our sales team here.