got lots of feedback about it being poor and we decided to

embark on a project to improve hospital way-finding

we relied on the users

to come up with ideas around how to improve

orientation when you were in the building and we came up

with ideas from those users

around using colour to zone corridors for example

and certain departments.

The group of people that I work with

really struggle with literacy and obviously so I was coming at it from both

having bilingual Welsh and English but making sure that the symbols were fit for

purpose for

not just people with learning disabilities but the wider population

We had a look at all the signs

on the board because

there's people that

can't read

so that's why I said

they should have symbols

to show

people where they go.

It's really important to involve service users in

any sort of design of their care. They need to have a voice they need to be central

to the whole

aspect of how their care's provided.

And my idea was to get the

greens and the blues together and the greens together

so they know what colour they are and which way to go.

It makes me feel that I'm more

helpful for the public

really ... they're gonna be proud

I think they're gonna be really proud of what we're trying to do.

So it was our service user group that chose

the different colours for all the different schemes. They actually had the

final say in terms of which symbol was used

so it was the service users that had the power in terms of deciding the final

symbol not the service department.

There are graphic images everywhere really, sometimes we will walk pass them and maybe we don't realise.

Colour coding has been very very useful indeed very useful

it eases the way around the hospital for patients

it's much easier for them to find where they're supposed to be

it's reducing stress, it's reducing time

I think it makes the place look more professional and more

focused on patients.

The next step is that the symbol and the colour zone will go on patients' letters and that's meant to help

make it even easier for patients attending hospital.

I think this scheme's appropriate to be rolled out right across Wales to all the

various hospitals within the NHS across Wales.