The city of Birmingham is set to benefit from two new family-centred hospital developments as the local NHS foundation trust awards a design and technical consultancy service contract to BDP.
Along with its partners, BDP will develop design solutions for Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust for modern, specialised paediatric and women’s healthcare facilities.
Now, more than ever, we understand the importance of buildings that create a thriving culture of research and innovation, offer the best patient experiences, and deliver impact across and beyond the NHS
Under the contract, a team of designers, engineers, planners and cost consultants from BDP, Arup, Archus and WT Partnership will lead the redesign of Birmingham Women’s Hospital, opposite the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, including the introduction of a new building.
They will also design and engineer a new clinical building at Birmingham Children’s Hospital– adjacent to Waterfall House – a children’s healthcare building designed by BDP and completed in 2018.
The new, innovative and energy-efficient children’s hospital will include emergency and theatre departments, additional paediatric intensive care capacity, and new state-of-the-art inpatient wards.
The women’s hospital will enable the trust to replace its inpatient wards, expand services for specific gynaecology theatres and birthing rooms, and ensure sufficient capacity within its outpatient clinics.
The design approach for both buildings will aim to meet the standards set by the Government’s ambitions to deliver ‘net zero’ carbon emissions within NHS developments by 2040.
Andrew Smith, head of healthcare at BDP, said: “The collaboration between Birmingham Women and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, BDP and our partners will result in two world-leading healthcare facilities that will bring further international acclaim to a city which is already leading the way in innovative healthcare buildings.
“Our team is driven by the desire to deliver meaningful social impact and create the very-best, user-centred, and inspirational healthcare environments possible for the people of Birmingham.
“Our experience in delivering the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham proves how creative design can produce hospitals which meet the complex, experiential and organisational challenges of the healthcare sector.
These buildings are well past their natural life and are not suitable to providing the spaces and facilities we need for modern care
“Now, more than ever, we understand the importance of buildings that create a thriving culture of research and innovation, offer the best patient experiences, and deliver impact across and beyond the NHS.”
David Melbourne, acting chief executive of the trust, added: “We are proud of the amazing care our colleagues provide on a daily basis, but they do that in an estate that is well beyond its operational life.
The improvements will enhance services and help to create a culture of research and innovation
“Our children and young persons’ services are being delivered on a site opened in 1897 and our women’s hospital is more than 50 years old.
“Our teams have done a great job in recent years with a make-do-and-mend approach, but the cost of that in terms of annual maintenance is growing and is not sustainable.
“These buildings are well past their natural life and are not suitable to providing the spaces and facilities we need for modern care.
“Our Big Build proposal will provide value for money and unlock huge potential for the development of our existing and new services; opening the door to a new wave of research and innovation, tapping into the many world-class individuals we are lucky to call colleagues.”