Design Gold for Springfield Vale
Images courtesty of Springfield Vale.
Congratulations to Springfield Vale Care Home in Barnsley, who have received DSDC’s highest award through DSDC’s design audit accreditation service.
DSDC undertook an indpendent audit of the facility earlier this year, and we are delighted to be able to award Springfield Vale a Gold Audit Accreditation, underpinned by our Environments for Ageing and Dementia Design Assessment Tool (EADDAT), for the design of the building.
Springfield Vale provides nursing care for adults living with complex dementia. Their team provides high acuity, nurse-led care services, particularly for individuals with secondary diagnoses, co-morbidities, or those who’ve experienced previous failed placements.
The people supported at Springfield Vale would often be in a hospital or higher acuity setting. Springfield Vale works to keep residents in the community, closer to their loved ones.
Located on Perseverance Street in Barnsley, Springfield Vale has 33 bedrooms across three small, purpose-built units. With this small group living, Springfield Vale is able to provide a homely and supportive environment that’s more responsive to individual needs.
Every design detail has been carefully considered to support independence, reduce distress, and improve wellbeing, helping people living with a dementia feel safe, comfortable, and supported every day.
Each unit has its own dining room, lounge, quiet lounge, and sensory bathroom with an accessible or hydro bath. The home also has a large communal hub with an adapted kitchen, therapy treatment room, beauty salon, and accessible garden.
Springfield Vale is located near local amenities and transport links, helping people stay connected to the community.
Why did Exemplar Health Care develop a specialist dementia home?
“We developed Springfield Vale in response to a growing gap in the health and care system for people living with complex dementia. Increasingly, we’re supporting adults whose needs go beyond what traditional care settings are set up to manage. Many of the people referred to us have experienced multiple failed placements, extended hospital stays, or repeated admissions - partly because the right environment hasn’t been available.
Springfield Vale was developed to provide a stable, supportive home for people whose needs are often described as “too complex” elsewhere.
“The design of the home plays an important role in this.
That’s why we worked with the University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) to embed evidence-based design principles that enable, rather than hinder, good care.”
