A first-of-its-kind partnership between an NHS Trust and a lighting firm, to help people regulate their body clocks and promote a more positive recovery, has been launched.
The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool has partnered with Circada on a three-month pilot project for Circadian lighting – which research shows can be key in brain injury recovery – to be installed in its intensive therapy unit (ITU).
The pilot is part of the specialist neurological Trust’s innovation agenda, and if the feasibility trial is successful, the lighting could be rolled out more widely across the ITU and other patient areas.
Circada’s lighting technology works by changing the colour of the lighting throughout the day to match the daily and seasonal pattern of the sun, with superior and tailored light matched to biological needs.
Misalignment of the body clock, for which daily light exposure is largely responsible, has been shown to have a negative impact across many areas of human health.
By retuning the light with the sun’s rhythm, this can bring positive health and wellbeing benefits to people across society.
Oonagh Doherty, ITU Matron at The Walton Centre, said minimising delirium in patients is an important factor in their recovery.
“Delirium can be a big issue for the patients, especially head injured patients. Ensuring they have adequate sleep and rest is key and resetting their body clock is important for this to happen – which this innovative lighting system may help to achieve,” she said.
“If this pilot is successful, it may reduce the length of patient stays on ITU, therefore improving their experience and rehabilitation journey. I’m also keen to see how it helps our staff’s health and wellbeing too.”
Circada founder Sam Lewtas said: “We hope our lighting restores some balance to patients and staff in this stressful environment.
“I’m excited to show the potential of our concept here, and ultimately more widely the ability to improve health and wellbeing.”
