Improve Staff Wellbeing with Smart Furniture Design Choices

Every month, the NHS experiences a loss of approximately 500,000 working days due to work-related stress, depression, and anxiety among its employees. The demanding nature of the healthcare profession, coupled with chronic understaffing, long shifts, changing patient requirements, and economic pressures, is leading to increased levels of burnout and fatigue.

Small investments can help ease the immediate burden on staff to reduce stress and fatigue. Transforming the physical spaces where staff spend their time – including the ward environment, offices, and break areas – is one such example. Smart furniture design choices can make daily life on the ward a little bit easier, so staff can care for patients without sacrificing their own health and wellbeing.

Below are a few examples of ways to create a healthcare environment in which staff can thrive:

1. Offer a variety of well-designed break areas

Sufficient breaks help prevent fatigue and burnout, but on busy wards, staff don’t always find time to recharge. A well-designed break area can ensure they get as much rest as possible, even when time is limited. 

2. Use colour, texture, and smart furniture choices to elevate the workplace

Specific colours can be chosen to influence perception, mood, and morale, and set the tone in different spaces.

3. Our 6Es principle offers a useful checklist to look out for in furniture design 

Ergonomic, efficient, easy, economic, equality, environmental. 

The Opti-Lite Staff Wellbeing Range 

Our new staff wellbeing range was purposefully designed for staff areas, the range has easy-to-clean antimicrobial vinyl, is ergonomically designed, space efficient, and is carbon neutral. 

With fluid curves, soft edges and a home-like feel, the range allows staff to feel more relaxed and valued. 

Case study: Orpington Hospital

Orpington Hospital worked with Ocura to create a Wellbeing Hub for staff to relax during breaks, using funding from the hospital charity. The Trust chose Koko sofas and Aurora chairs in woodland-themed colours, to create a design that provides maximum comfort and convenience whilst looking inviting.

Well-designed healthcare furniture can create a safe and supportive environment for staff, so they feel appreciated and heard, whilst creating a thriving workforce, producing better patient experience, and much-needed financial savings.