Provocations Seminar Series 2: Meet Dr. Christina Malathouni

Join us for the second appointment of the Provocations Seminar Series 2, where we delve into the critical topic of healthcare architecture with Dr. Christina Malathouni. Christina, an architect and researcher, will lead a thought-provoking session focusing on the importance of well-designed staff rest areas in healthcare settings.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your interest in the healthcare industry? 

I originally come from Greece. I came to the UK for postgraduate studies and have stayed here ever since. I had initially trained as an architect but in my postgraduate studies I started focusing on architectural history. In parallel to my PhD, I also started working for one of the National Amenity Societies based in London, the Twentieth Century Society. As the name suggests, this focuses on twentieth-century architectural heritage. In a rather peculiar way, it was through this work in the heritage sector that I became intrigued by the lack of any mental healthcare facilities from the post-war period recognised as architectural heritage (i.e., as opposed to the many nineteenth-century asylums that are listed). This has been the main focus of my research in recent years: I examine the evolution of mental healthcare facilities in England in the twentieth century. Still, as a trained architect and based at a School of Architecture, I am also interested in contemporary developments in relation to healthcare architecture design and this is where this project comes into the picture. 

It goes without saying, though, that my interest in the NHS in particular goes beyond my professional life. As someone who has been living in the UK for more than two decades now, I see the NHS as an incredibly valuable organisation at a personal level too. I have been lucky enough to have faced no major health issues, but the few times I needed healthcare support, it has always been there for me.

What motivated you to get involved in this “Provocation” focusing on staff rest areas in healthcare settings? 

During Covid 19 I think everyone became acutely aware of the immense pressure healthcare staff face as part of their work routine. This is something impossible to forget. More recently, I have also repeatedly seen an advertisement in support of the charity Frontline19, the “free independent, confidential and UK based nationwide service delivering psychological support to people working on the frontline”. Every single time I see this ad it really hits me very hard. Providing spaces for rest and, often, refuge from the relentless demands of all jobs in healthcare feels like the very minimum we ought to be offering. Personal experience of various healthcare environments, my own personal needs in terms of my environment when I get overwhelmed by work or other life pressures, and awareness of multiple new developments within architectural design made me realise this is an area where more can be done. I know, for example, that various sounds and inappropriate lighting adds to my stress and frustration, especially when I am already tired, and sensory design is definitely an area where a lot of progress has been made in recent times. But there is much more than just sensory design and several interventions are possible and should be embraced both in existing and in newly-commissioned and designed healthcare buildings and open spaces.

What is your personal top priority during your rest time at work, and how do you achieve it currently? 

I have never done a job as demanding as any of the jobs in the healthcare sector. I am truly in awe of everyone working in healthcare. Nonetheless, I have very long and sustained experience of long hours of work, whether in my current job or, previously, when I was juggling a number of part-time jobs and, for several years, postgraduate studies too. My experiences in terms of options for a break in these jobs vary immensely: from a very privileged position currently at the University of Liverpool (where I have my own little office and there are also quite a few pleasant outdoor spaces across the campus), to jobs where you could only find a place to sit down for a break if you paid for it (and would also end up in loud, overcrowded places) or, alternatively, to “staff rooms” that would be buried in a basement, with old, dirty furniture and no windows for any daylight or natural ventilation. So, at present, I may actually end up having a break in my office, but I try and make myself look away from my computer screen (and my mobile phone!) and, instead, look out of the window. When the weather allows it, I often aim to go for a brief walk in the campus, or use one of the outdoors sitting areas, with Abercromby Square remaining one of my favourite options. Outdoors too, just not looking at my phone, but instead allowing myself to experience what is happening around me – other people, the weather, how planting is coming along depending on the time of the year – usually makes a big difference when I get back to my desk or a classroom.

What is the one key reflection you want participants to take away from this workshop?

However each one of us may define the ideal “rest area” or “work break”, we must work collectively towards establishing the right to truly restorative spaces for work breaks. They are essential for everyone’s wellbeing and in the healthcare sector this clearly affects not just staff themselves but the people they care for too. Sadly, they are rarely prioritised and, even if initially planned and realised, they may be replaced by other uses in the long term. This should not be allowed and we should be campaigning for their provision and maintenance to become the norm and an essential part of all spaces where healthcare is offered. We must work collectively towards a new mentality that recognises the importance of restorative environments for staff health and wellbeing if they are to be able to retain their roles, rather than end up as patients themselves.