Lighting panels lift mood on maternity wards

The new panels have been designed to help lift the mood of staff and patients

New lighting panels have been fitted in a hospital maternity wing to help lift the mood of staff and patients.

The panels, which have been installed on the Bardney and Nettleham wards at Lincoln County Hospital, give off light and move through different settings that correspond with the time of day.

One panel, which features a lake and mountain scene, has been placed on a ward with no natural daylight.

The new panels have been funded by United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity (ULHC).

It comes after reports of staff struggling due to the lack of daylight during their shifts, with some midwives experiencing symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, known as SAD, according to health professionals.

Bardney Ward is for women in labour and Nettleham Ward is the antenatal and postnatal ward for mothers and their new-born babies.

The one on Bardney Ward has been fixed to the interior ceiling to give the impression of a roof light

Claudia Coggan, who is a midwife on Nettleham Ward, said that natural light struggled to reach the midwives' station, where the computers were situated.

However, she said that following the installation the distribution of light was now so much better.

"The best part is that we can adjust the intensity of the light according to our needs," she added.

Hospital charity manager Ben Petts said: "They bring a bit of the outdoors indoors and have really improved the look and feel of the wards."

ULHC supports staff to deliver care to patients, their families and carers in the county's hospitals.

The money raised by the charity pays for extras, including a sensory room at Boston's Pilgrim Hospital and teddy bears for neonatal units.

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