Blossom Ward awarded Gold Standard by Dementia Services Development Centre
We are pleased to share that Blossom Ward, located in the state-of-the-art North View inpatient mental health hospital, has been awarded the University of Stirling’s prestigious Dementia Design Gold standard.
The accreditation follows rigorous assessment of the ward environment over several months, as well as the wider North View site, by the Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC), utilising their Environments for Ageing and Dementia Design Assessment Tool (EADDAT). The EADDAT tool offers robust assessment of how dementia-friendly homes, care settings, public spaces, and community services are, taking into account the space’s ability to support service user needs, maximise independence and enhance self-esteem and confidence.
This is a huge accomplishment for Blossom Ward, one of GMMH’s designated Older Adults Ward, as the DSDC are widely recognised as specialists in the field of dementia and ageing, and receiving this level of accreditation is usually reserved for specialist dementia facilities only.
The ward scored exceptionally well in the EADDAT assessment, meeting 87% of the overall criteria to achieve Dementia Design Gold accreditation. Throughout the process, assessors noted Blossom Ward’s ability to connect service users with outdoor areas, its enhanced privacy and wayfinding to promote independence, as well as its 'home-like', de-institutionalised environment as exemplary features, as they shared in their findings:
“This development reflects a strong commitment to contemporary, research-informed healthcare design that promotes cognitive accessibility. Its masterplan, centred on a sequence of well-arranged gardens and courtyards, creates an elegant and supportive spatial framework.
North View – Blossom Ward stands as a model of compassionate, evidence-based design—an environment that feels less like a ward and more like a home: familiar, empowering, and restorative.
The ward exemplifies how design can help people with cognitive impairments regain or maintain independence before returning home. Its communal household model moves beyond traditional institutional layouts, using domestic cues to foster comfort, engagement, and social interaction”.
Following the accreditation, Danielle Hardy, Ward Manager at Blossom Ward said:
This magnificent achievement is testament of what teamwork can achieve. This has greatly enhanced our service user experience, has helped maintain service user independence and overall comfort on the ward. The achievement would not have been possible without the dedication of staff, both clinical and non-clinical, who’ve worked collaboratively to deliver an outstanding environment for our service users.
Marc Reed, Director of Capital, Estates and Facilities said:
It’s fantastic to have received formal accreditation from the University of Sterling. North View was specifically designed to incorporate dementia friendly attributes throughout, with specific emphasis on Blossom Ward to support care for our older adult patients in an environment that’s fitting of their needs.
The respective design, project and care group teams have worked together over several months, both pre and post construction, to incorporate and embed best practice, alongside detailed guidance and support from the DSDC, to meet such high standards and set benchmarks for the future.
This latest accolade follows North View winning Best Specialist or Dementia Care Design at the Healthcare Design Awards 2025 earlier this year, as well as being awarded the Bonze Award for Best Mental Health/Dementia Care Development at the Building Better Healthcare Awards 2025 in November, cementing the 150-bed hospital’s standing as a state-of-the-art facility, designed to deliver a safe and therapeutic environment for patients, carers, visitors and staff.
