Should wards have dedicated phone areas, so patients craving sleep get peace and quiet?

Ward design, alarms, and mobile phone use all make sound sleep seem an impossible dream

‘I need to go into hospital for a rest,’ said a friend, who – to put it mildly – is rather out of touch.

No one has been into hospital for a rest since we were riding around on penny farthings and wearing bustles. Noisy, too brightly lit, and with beds like sweaty boards, hospitals have, like Macbeth, murdered sleep – for decades.

A good night’s sleep is the foundation of recovery

All of us need rest when we are ill – it’s one of recovery’s basic building blocks. But even 40 winks seem unattainable in your average district general hospital.