Visitor access to City healthcare sites improved

Visitor access to medical centres across Plymouth including Mount Gould Hospital has been improved thanks to the launch of a new external wayfinding system.

South Devon based brand and digital design agency, LOGO, has worked closely with Plymouth Community Healthcare to create a simplified, consistent signage system to improve ease of access for patients and visitors to its 18 centres across the city.

The new scheme was introduced at Mount Gould Hospital in December, where a co-ordinated system of colour-coded signs has been introduced alongside a site map and visitor guide to ensure the visitor experience is simpler. The Mount Gould site has been divided into five colour and symbol coded zones to enable visitors to find their way around and locate more easily the different buildings onsite.

Patients visiting the 20-acre site will now receive a map and visitor guide with their appointment letter. This should advise them of the building name and colour zone that their service or appointment is within. Pedestrians and vehicles can navigate the site entering via numbered entrances and following directional signs that show the building names with relevant zone colours and symbols. Signs and display copies of the map can also be found throughout the site.

The scheme is Mount Gould’s first comprehensive wayfinding system, which until now has relied on a miscellany of different signs directing visitors to both old and new buildings on the site. New signage is currently also being rolled out to Plymouth Community Healthcare’s other sites across the city.

Sarah Doney, Director at LOGO, said: “Our main aim was to get people to the correct building and from there they can find the relevant service. As with any healthcare centre, the services might change but the buildings will not and we have replaced the existing confusion of signs to ensure the new system is coherent, consistent and has longevity.

“It was important for us to create a wayfinding system that was both visually appealing but also simple and logical enough to do its job properly. The challenge was that visitors to Mount Gould tend to get lost, especially with the one-way system and numerous buildings both old and new. We tailored the system taking into account the range of visitors who will be visiting the site and their different needs.”

Lee Grant, Business Support Manager at Plymouth Community Healthcare, said “We were impressed with how LOGO approached this piece of work from the initial research with us through to the design and the implementation. The feedback has been very positive both from staff and patients.”

Visit www.logodesign.co.uk for more information.