A £1.5million refurbishment and extension to the forum health surgery is a flagship development receiving the largest contribution from the NHS Transformation Fund (formerly Infrastructure Fund) allocated in 2015/16.

Our teams set out to increase provision of consulting and treatment rooms and incorporate integrated working spaces for medical staff to help improve their service and day to day experiences.

The refurbishment worked beautifully in line with the form of the original building and utilises principles of ‘healing architecture’, which are conveyed through the composition of space, materials, colours and most notably natural daylight

Flexible working spaces, multi-functional layout, improved accessibility and clear wayfinding for vulnerable users became key components of inclusive design.

All of the consulting/clinical rooms are future-proofed in terms of size, geometry, service connections and FF&E, while each section of the building is self-sustainable, thus allowing further re-modelling in the future.

The introduction of an atrium flooded in daylight, separation into smaller personal sub-waits and careful consideration of patient flows extend to users with sensory impairments and patients with anxiety or mental health.

IDP worked very closely with the contractor, subconsultants and suppliers (as part of a traditional procurement route) to ensure optimal quality, design and finish of every last detail was achieved. The building subsequently is now an award-winning health centre

The centre is a fantastic example of the impact design makes – in this instance working hard to ease any patients’ issues in accessing care.

Forum experience establishes a relaxed atmosphere, improves patients’ mood and reduces blood pressure readings, reflected by the ‘friends and family test’ cards.
Patient wellbeing is not just a welcome by-product of quality architecture, but the essence of it and the measure by which primary care can define itself.
 
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