Cramlington Hospital

Designed by healthcare specialists, P+HS Architects, and built offsite by The McAvoy Group, the Ambulatory Care unit within the new wing at the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington has had Forbo Flooring Systems’ Marmoleum floor coverings installed throughout, for its excellent durability and naturally bacteriostatic properties.

The 6,500m2 three-storey building was manufactured offsite by McAvoy using the latest offsite technology to minimise disruption to patient care and to reduce the build programme by half to less than 12 months. An extension from the main hospital, the project will be completed in three phases. The first phase of the development saw the completion of a dedicated facility for ambulatory care on the first floor, which will allow up to 150 patients to be treated on the same day across four specialisms – medicine, surgery, gynaecology and orthopaedics – without the need for hospital admissions.

Steve Hatcher, Associate at P+HS Architects, said: “As experts in healthcare projects, we have used Forbo’s Marmoleum for many schemes over the years and we are particularly interested in the product because of its naturally bacteriostatic properties and environmental credentials. Historically, linoleum is also very hardwearing so we knew that recommending Marmoleum would be the perfect choice for the Cramlington hospital extension.”

Made from up to 98% natural raw materials and now produced CO2 positive (cradle to gate), Marmoleum has the ability to inhibit the growth of bacteria, including MRSA and it contains no phthalates, plasticisers or mineral oil. An inherent property of the product, the anti-bacterial qualities of Marmoleum won't diminish over time, giving peace of mind and constant protection from the moment it is installed.

Steve continued: “The Marmoleum collection offers a wealth of colour and design options, which enabled us to incorporate multiple but simple colour schemes that suited the Trust’s brand. The Ambulatory Care unit is split into various zones, so we were therefore able to use the flooring as a tool to aid wayfinding and to help distinguish the different areas. This is particularly important when designing healthcare environments so that patients and visitors can easily identify where they are and where they should be. This also helps people with dementia, to assist them in navigating through the hospital as safely as possible.”

For more information on Forbo’s work in the healthcare sector, please visit [www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/healthcare ](http://www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/healthcare ;css-nAr)