bathrooms

A range of Kinedo shower cubicles normally found in social housing and student accommodation proved to be in high demand for temporary facilities for the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic.
At the very start of the lockdown, the UK Government was quick to build a number of Nightingale Hospitals as part of contingency plans to treat COVID-19 patients. Saniflo, one of the UK’s leading supplier of pumps, macerators and showers, remained open throughout to provide an urgent supply of pumps and shower cubicles for the conversion of exhibition centres and sporting venues into Covid wards. The company also provided round-the-clock support for existing hospitals that expanded their own facilities to cope with additional demand. Saniflo products were used in the creation of accommodation units and shower blocks for on-site medical teams, for the installation of hand washing basins throughout hospital wards and temporary food preparation areas for patients and staff.

AKW, one of the UK’s leading providers of accessibility solutions, has extended its popular Marlbrook wall panel range, offering installers and end users even more ways to create luxurious bathroom solutions that don’t compromise on style but are still cost-effective.

Practitioners involved in the housing adaptations process are being empowered to ease at least one pain point with co-professional analysis documents.

Available for free download, Occupational Analysis: Activity Analysis of Toileting and Single Handed Care: Toilet Guidance have both been written by occupational therapists commissioned by Closomat. Both facilitate the assessment process, to enable appropriate selection of toilet assistive technology as part of a home adaptation.

Keith Ridding discusses the best practice methods for specifying bathrooms in new or retrofit properties.

The use of assistive technology in housing is receiving additional relevance with the publication of new research and strategies.

According to Housing LIN, housing developers and providers can deliver enhanced benefits for residents by constructing more housing with care type properties(*). Toilet assistive technology manufacturer Closomat is urging that helpful fixtures are utilised to simultaneously deliver that independent living with care and reduce demand on healthcare services.

A recent project successfully delivered to client, JG Lettings, was a 63-bedroom, purpose-built student accommodation block in Gillingham. Each unit included a fully equipped en-suite bathroom featuring a shower cubicle from the Kinedo range by Saniflo. The Kinedo Kineprime Glass is an integrated cubicle with stunning interior glass panels that sit over the pre-formed upstand of a shower tray to ensure all water runs inside the shower; providing a leak-free environment. Clear glass external panels feature Crystal Plus coating to eliminate limescale build-up and ensure easy cleaning – ideal for the student community. The exposed valve and showerhead are provided as part of the package.

A Parliamentary inquiry into decent and accessible homes(*) is highlighting the importance of utilising a universal design approach to make adaptation products appealing to all age groups.

Closomat, Britain’s leading manufacturer of toilet assistive technology, is already positioned to equip housing designers, developers and officers, to meet that challenge (at least in the bathroom).