Sleep pods at Royal Preston Hospital, UK

The installation has been made possible thanks to a generous donation by the local family business James Hall and Company Ltd. Since June 9th, the pods have been open to tired staff.

Andrew Hall, who is the managing director of James Hall and Company Limited, explains how it was the brave efforts of healthcare staff during the rise of the Covid pandemic which inspired the donation:

“…we saw the extraordinary lengths that NHS staff went to, to keep us and their own families safe. We wanted to help, so we are delighted to see these rest and recreation facilities brought to life.”

The battle against fatigue and near misses

Royal Preston hospital is not the only NHS facility to install sleeping pods. In the later years, the NHS has devoted many resources to improve the sleep health of their staff.

In May 2019, the British government also allocated £10 million to sleep facilities such as nap pods or on-board rooms, in the hope of preventing medication errors, diagnostical errors, road accidents, and burn-out rates among hospital staff.

The efforts seem well-reasoned, especially considering that according to the Guardian 2 in 5 doctors in the UK have fallen asleep behind the wheel following a nightshift and that according to BMA 44% of doctors reports suffering from depression, anxiety, or stress.

We at Restworks are proud to be a part of the solution to bring those numbers down.