Building Better Healthcare Awards

Earlier today more than 400 people packed The Brewery in central London for the announcement of the winners of this year’s Building Better Healthcare Awards.

THE WINNERS

Building Design Category

Best Mental Health Design Award

Winner: Sydenham Garden Resource Centre - Architype/Sydenham Garden

According to the judges, Sydenham Garden Resource Centre is a perfect example of how a small architectural intervention can help to improve lives.

Designed by Architype and commissioned by the charity, Sydenham Garden, the building comprises an office, meeting room, training room, one-to-one space, and kitchen, with an external garden.

An exemplar for sustainability, it has been constructed from natural materials that are warm and textural and remind people of their connection to the earth and nature. A sense of solidity comes from the chunky timber and spaces are full of natural light, which is calming and uplifting.

The design uses Passivhaus principles, with super insulation and triple-glazed windows and doors. A mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system provides fresh air while recovering 90% of the heat from the stale air. A solar panel and air source heat pump provide supplementary heat and lighting throughout the building is low energy and external lighting is solar powered, while rainwater is routed into an existing well. Head judge, Susan Francis, said: "It is a very difficult site and the way the building responds is wonderful. It flows very well." Fellow judge, Sarah Waller, added: "The design has been grounded in the needs of the people who use the building and it is clearly a therapy space as well as a building."

Shortlist:

Sydenham Garden Resource Centre - Architype/Sydenham Garden

William Wake House - St Andrew's Healthcare/Adam Architects/Oxford Architects

Simmons House Adolescent Unit - Studio 4/Elliott Wood/Mendick Waring

Foxhall House, St Clement's Hospital - Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust/Kier Eastern/Devereux Architects/AECOM/PEP/Northcroft

Wrexham Mental Health Campus - Interserve/Betsi Cadwaladar University Health Board/Aedas Architects/Interserve Consulting/Telford Hart/Opus International/DSSR/Interserve Engineering Services/Mace/Tweeds/Cyril Sweett

Best Acute Care Design Award

Winner: New Stobhill Hospital Ward Extension - Reiach and Hall Architects/NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde/Balfour Beatty Construction

BBH Awards 2011 - The winners

Applauded by the judges for 'bringing something innovative to the table', the design of the New Stobhill Hospital ward extension aimed to achieve a layout that was not only legible, but would derive much of its architectural quality from the careful consideration and detailing of the external facade. The three-storey, 6,000sq m building contains an outpatient clinic, 12 beds to extend the use of the existing day surgery unit, a small education and seminar suite, and two 24-bed rehabilitation wards. Half of all these beds are provided as single rooms and half in multi-bed wards to enable a choice of accommodation.

The treatment of the external envelope has been limited to a simple palette of pale render and glass and the design uses natural light to animate both internal and external spaces. However, perhaps the most-striking feature are the window bays that have been introduced to the single-bed rooms, providing identified seating areas that allow patients to take advantage of the views.

Susan Francis, head judge in the building design category, said: "This design is distinguished by the attention to detail and the success in creating a therapeutic environment for patients and a supportive workplace for staff. This is achieved by integrating art into the design, by using sympathetic materials and through the thoughtful window design to give light, views and a sense of time and place."

Shortlist:

Integrated Critical Care Unit - City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

Cancer Care and Research Centre, 93 and 97 Harley Street - HCA International

Newham Maternity and Newborn Unit - Murphy Philipps Architecture/Newham University Hospital NHS Trust/Medicinq Osborne/Relabond

New Stobhill Hospital Ward Extension - Reiach and Hall Architects/NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde/Balfour Beatty Construction

King's Mill Hospital - Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust/Swanke Hayden Connell Architects/Skanska Construction UK, Central Nottinghamshire Hospitals

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham - University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Consort Healthcare (Birmingham)/Balfour Beatty Engineering Services/Balfour Beatty Construction/Building Design Partnership

Best Community Care Design Award

Winner: Baldry Gardens - Henley Halebrown Rorrison/Willmott Dixon/Davis Langdon/Price and Myers/Cundall/Urban Practitioners/Alan Baxter Associates

BBH Awards 2011 - The winners

Described by the judges as 'welcoming', 'spacious, yet intimate', and 'warm and optimistic', Baldry Gardens is part of a major primary care service strategy to improve healthcare for patients in Streatham, south London. Providing a range of GP and community services to promote healthy living to a diverse population with varying health needs, the 1,030sq m building has been designed to give the impression of a landmark public building such as a church or meeting hall. Large windows create daylit, sun-filled spaces and the first-floor waiting space is reached via a dramatic timber staircase.

Designed to allow flexible usage, the building incorporates efficient control systems that are metered individually and monitored by a building management system. Primary heating is provided by a biomass boiler and 80% of material used in the construction are BREEAM 'A' rated, achieving a 'Very Good' overall score.

The centre's facades are polychromatic brickwork, which picks up on the wide variety of colours in neighbouring properties, in particular pinks, reds and browns. External metalwork is similarly coloured. Choosing the winner, category head judge, Susan Francis, said: "From the outside the building is modest in terms of density and form, which cleverly deals with the corner site, responding well to the buildings nearby. The detailed brickwork around the entrance is a delightful touch, so too are the window details.

"The consulting rooms are well lit and the purpose-made desk offers a good doctor-patient relationship. The colours and materials are warm and optimistic and it is fresh, taut and forward-looking.

"While it may appear somewhat austere in design, this clearly is intended and gives the building modest stature."

Fellow judge, Patricia Young, added: "The building was designed with the user at the centre and as a result offers welcoming, reassuring, understandable spaces both for staff and users."

Highly commended: Beech Hall Wellbeing and Treatment Centre - Penoyre and Prasad LLP, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust/TODD Architects

Shortlist:

Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan Local General Hospital - Aneurin Bevan Health Board/BAM Construction/Nightingale Associates/Davis Langdon

Balmoral Gardens Healthy Living Centre - Baily Garner/Medway Community Estates/Rydon Construction/Fife Belcher/MLM/AMP

Beech Hall Wellbeing and Treatment Centre - Penoyre and Prasad Architects/Belfast Health and Social Care Trust/TODD Architects

Baldry Gardens - Henley Halebrown Rorrison/Willmott Dixon/Davis Langdon/Price and Myers/Cundall/Urban Practitioners/Alan Baxter Associates

Reginald Joint Service Centre, Leeds - Community Ventures (Leeds)/Leeds City Council/NHS Leeds/Seymour Harris Architects/Miller Construction

Patient Environment Category

Best Interior Design Award

Winner: Bereavement Suite at York Hospital - York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust/The King's Fund/Kier Group/Balfour Beatty/Clarke Bond Group/Thompson Spencer Architects/Cyril Sweett Group/Dan Savage

BBH Awards 2011 - The winners

Developed as part of the King's Fund's Enhancing the Healing Environment for Care at End of Life programme, the bereavement suite at York Hospital brings together as many services as possible to assist relatives following the death of a loved-one in hospital. The design brief placed great emphasis on providing a calm and quiet space away from the busy clinical environment where relatives could seek private solace and support to deal with issues including registering a death, collecting personal belongings and picking up death certificates.

Sarah Waller, the category head judge, said: "The needs of relatives have been paramount in the design. Light and colour, the non institutional furniture, fittings and integral artworks, together with the adjoining private garden, provide a well-designed supportive space for people at a very distressing time in their lives.

"The design meets all the criteria. It respects privacy and dignity and provides an environment that lifts the spirits. They have used the space available extremely well."

Danny Daniels, patients' representative on the judging panel, added: "They are recognising that bereavement is a big part of a hospital's daily life and are trying to make that process easier and more pleasant, if that is possible. It is a wonderful facility."

Highly commended: St Barnabas House specialist palliative care inpatient unit and day hospice service - St Barnabas Hospices (Sussex)/RHP Partnerships

Shortlist:

Waterworld and Treetops, Salisbury District Hospital Children's Unit - Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust/ArtCare/Devereux Architects/Stars Appeal

Northwick Park Hospital Mental Health Centre - Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust/Broadway Malyan/SVM/Clegg Associates/STACE

Cancer Care and Research Unit, 93 and 97 Harley Street - HCA International/Collins Construction/Chapman Bathurst/Fothergill and Company

Hanley Health and Wellbeing Centre - Prime/NHS Stoke on Trent/One Creative Environments/Prima 200 (LIFTCo)

St Barnabas House specialist palliative care inpatient unit and day hospice service - St Barnabas Hospices (Sussex)/RHP Partnerships

Bereavement Suite at York Hospital - York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust/The King's Fund/Kier Group/Balfour Beatty/Clarke Bond Group/Thompson Spencer Architects/Cyril Sweett Group/Dan Savage

Best Landscape/External Space Award

Winner: The Time Garden - Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust/The King's Fund/Stephen Towns/Diarmuid Gavin Designs/Peter Dowle Plants and Gardens

BBH Awards 2011 - The winners

Described by the judges as a 'beautifully-designed' project that 'shows real thought and care for the patient pathway', The Time Garden at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey is for the exclusive use of terminally-ill patients and their families. Developed by TV gardener Diarmuid Gavin's company, the development is part of the King's Fund's Enhancing the Healing Environment for Care at End of Life programme and is the first of its kind in the country. The design incorporates three major zones, including a garden and pavilion, which accommodate patients confined to beds or wheelchairs. Planting has been chosen to provide year-round interest and artworks enhance the aesthetic experience.

Commenting on the project, Sarah Waller, chief category judge, said: "Space has been maximised and the pavilion allows for use, even in the rain. The pleached trees and coloured walls help to make the space private and intimate and there are lots of different areas to sit. This is a special space amid the hectic activity of an acute hospital that is already much appreciated by patients, relatives and staff."

Fellow judge, Jon Wilks, added: "Someone first looked at that derelict space and to come up with this idea shows real thought for the patient experience."

Highly commended: Global Family, The Garden of Gifts (The Garden Room) - Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust/The King's Fund/The Garden Escape Company/Ecovert FM/League of Friends/June Faulkner/Traditional Builders

Shortlist:

Ystbyty Aneurin Bevan - Aneurin Bevan Health Board/Fira/BAM Construction/Nightingale Associates

Global Family, The Garden of Gifts (The Garden Room) - Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust/The King's Fund/The Garden Escape Company/Ecovert FM/League of Friends/June Faulkner/Traditional Builders

The Time Garden, Frimley Park Hospital - Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust/The King's Fund/Stephen Towns/Diarmuid Gavin Designs/Peter Dowle Plants and Gardens

Best Use of Visual Art in Healthcare Award

Winner: Guy's Hospital Cancer Day Unit 'Illustrating the Journey' - Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust/Heather Barnett/Will Holloway/Greenhill Jenner, The Chemotherapy Patient Working Group

An 'exceptional' and 'stunning' scheme, the artwork in the new Cancer Day Unit at Guy's Hospital in London has been designed around the theme of the patient journey.

BBH Awards 2011 - The winners

Resident artist, Heather Barnett, and writer, Will Holloway, worked with patients to explore their feeling and emotions during their treatment with the aim of creating a unique integrated arts project based on the concept of 'flow', both a journey and a metaphor for how patients cope with such a challenging experience. The resulting design was inspired by the surrounding skyline of London as well as more distant vistas and word play is used on different media including bespoke wallpaper, glazing and privacy panels. One of the patients said: "For me during my treatment, the real world was what I could see outside, with family, friends and a normal life waiting for me when I got out. That's why I am particularly delighted with the artists' emphasis on looking out of the windows. It is very uplifting."

Category head judge, Sarah Waller, described the project as 'innovative and beautiful', adding: "What they have managed to produce is something exceptional and that does not happen often, even when there is a lot of funding behind a project. It's about the facility and the patients and it has been delivered within a design that is respectful."

Highly commended: Art at the Heart of the RUH - The Royal united Hospital NHS Trust Bath NHS Trust/Bath and North East Somerset Arts Development/Tony Smith/Hetty Dupays/Steve Boxall/Media Box

Shortlist:

Minehead Community Hospital - DKA/Laing O'Rourke/NHS Somerset/Wolfgang Buttress/Bronwen Gwillim

Guy's Hospital Cancer Day Unit 'Illustrating the Journey' - Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust/Heather Barnett/Will Holloway/Greenhill Jenner

Integrated art at the Downe Hospital, Downpatrick - Southern Eastern Health and Social Care Trust/Charles Normandale/Catrin Jones/Michael Disley/Marie Brett/Lucy Turner/John Thompson/Kevin Killen/Diane McCormick/John O'Connor/Juicy Glass/Scott Wilson/CAPITA

Art at the Heart of the RUH - The Royal United Hospital NHS Trust Bath /Bath and North East Somerset Arts Development/Tony Smith/Hetty Dupays/Steve Boxall/Media Box

Arts strategy for new cancer centre at Barts Hospital - Barts and The London NHS Trust/Vital Arts

Enhancing the patient environment at Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre - Willis Newson/University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust/Robin Blackledge/Innocent Fine Art/Above and Beyond/Stuart Low

Estates and Facilities Management Category

Best Response to DH Policy Award

Winner: Forth Valley Royal Hospital - Forth Health/NHS Forth Valley/Serco/LOR Partnership

BBH Awards 2011 - The winners

Described by the judges as 'brimming with innovative technologies' and providing a 'wholly patient-centred design', Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert has set a new benchmark for future healthcare estates. The largest recent NHS construction project in Scotland, the development distinguishes itself from other designs by providing individual access and movement arrangements for patients and staff and facilities management traffic. This means that services like laundry, catering, cleaning and waste are all based around a network of corridors separated from those used by patients, staff and visitors. Serco robots 'man' these corridors, carrying out traditional FM duties and freeing up staff to work on the frontline with patients. This division also helps greatly with infection control and means the building can be kept clean with minimal disruption to patients and other users.

The result is a public, patient and staff environment that is light, airy, calm and devoid of the clutter associated with traditional hospital designs. Choosing it as the winner, category head judge, Kevin Oxley, said: "The team behind this project has clearly embraced the QIPP efficiency agenda. This is a flagship development and a model I am looking to adapt in my own trust in the future. It is a big-hitting scheme."

>Highly commended: Ward 9, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough - South Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust/Interserve Construction/SES/P+HS/Capita/NBBJ Architects/JCP/BGP

Shortlist:

Cambridge University Hospitals deep clean programme - Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Rowanwood psychiatric intensive care unit - Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Forth Valley Royal Hospital - Forth Health/NHS Forth Valley/Serco/LOR Partnership

Ward 9, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough - South Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust/Interserve Construction/SES/P+HS/Capita/NBBJ Architects/JCP/BGP

NHS Blood and Transplant - NHS Blood and Transplant/SitexOrbis

Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust hydrogen peroxide vapour decontamination - Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust

Best Use of Innovative Funding Award

Winner: RE:FIT at Newham University Hospital - Newham University Hospital NHS Trust

BBH Awards 2011 - The winners

Newham University Hospital NHS Trust has embarked on the delivery of sustainability projects under the RE:FIT framework in partnership with EON Sustainable Energy. The first project was to replace three air handling units serving seven inpatient wards and a number of staff offices. These provide a quieter, more efficient ventilation system, saving 940WH per year through the use of heat recovery and free cooling. Underwritten by EON, this guarantees a payback period of 6.6 years. It is this guarantee that attracted the attention of the judges, who are hoping it will bring about a step change in the way manufacturers and suppliers work with the public sector in the future.

Kevin Oxley, EFM category head judge said: "This solution is one where the trust will only pay as they make savings. This is an example of how you can look at a process differently. It is the sort of investment I like to make, where you only pay when you derive the promised benefits.

"I think in the past we have been sold too many promises which have not always been delivered. It's a mark on the ground about how technology companies are going to have to become what they say and deliver what they promise and that can only be good for the NHS.

"This is very innovative in respect of what the scheme is and the precedent it sets."

Fellow judge, Patricia Young, added: "This demonstrates how savings can be re-invested back into a scheme. All too often savings are really just thinly-disguised cuts."

Best Use of Efficiency Savings Award

Winner: New treatment centre lighting scheme - The Christie NHS Trust/Interserve Project Services/Interserve Engineering Services/Healthcare Lighting

BBH Awards 2011 - The winners

According to EFM category head judge, Kevin Oxley, the increasing focus on driving efficiencies within the healthcare sector means projects are often in danger of failing to take in the bigger picture - that is ensuring any changes are in the best interests of patients, staff and the local environment. But The Christie NHS Trust impressed the panel with its approach to lighting in its new patient treatment centre. Oxley said: "Often we look at energy efficiency solutions and are very much driven by reducing carbon and energy and saving money. This project delivers far greater efficiencies for the organisation, demonstrating additional improvements to the quality of the environment in which patients are being treated. It shows how quality and efficiency can go hand in hand if you get the right solution."

Meeting the key principles within the Hospitals and Healthcare Lighting Guide, the scheme has achieved targets in excess of 60 luminaire lumens per circuit watts in most areas, achieving 'Best Practice' level in the Designed Energy Efficiency Rating scheme and generating a tangible reduction in cost and ongoing carbon emissions. The scheme reduced the installed load by 28.61kW; a significant saving of more than 38%, which equates to 112,000kWhs per year. To put this into perspective, 1kWh produces around 0.53Kg of CO2, so 112,000kWh will save around 59 tonnes of CO2 a year, as well as substantially reducing the annual energy bill. Over a 25-year period this is equivalent to planting more than 100,000 trees.

The inclusion of individual lighting controls at patients' bedsides was a key driver in the project winning the award, as it gives patients more choice and reduces the burden on clinical staff. Automatic absence detection is also used to maximise further savings.

Highly commended: Delivering energy efficiencies at Newham University Hospital - Newham University Hospital NHS Trust

Shortlist:

Delivering energy efficiencies at Newham University Hospital - Newham University Hospital NHS Trust

Removing the paper trail from secondary care to GP practices - NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent/NHS Medway

New treatment centre lighting scheme - The Christie NHS Trust/Interserve Project Services/Interserve Engineering Services/Healthcare Lighting

Low carbon combined heat and power delivery - The Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust/ENER-G

Products Category

Best Interior Product Award

Winner: The Derby Door - Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust/Paul Brooks/Airquee

BBH Awards 2011 - The winners

Said by the judges to 'tick an awful lot of boxes', the Derby Door was the brainchild of Paul Brooks, head of facilities management at Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Developed in partnership with Airquee of Bristol, this inflatable barrier fits flush against walls and ceilings within hospital wards, forming a complete seal and enabling staff to carry out decontamination work in the event of an outbreak of infection such as C.difficile or norovirus.

Designed to be used with hydrogen peroxide decontamination methods, the Derby Door also has several other potential uses, including acting as a barrier to divide or cordon off spaces and to isolate an infection patient.

The door inflates in minutes and, at a cost of £600, is economical in such cash-strapped times.

Cathy Bratt, the Derby trust's deputy director of nursing, said of the product: "We know, nationally, that hospitals last last winter were under significant pressure because of the prevalence of flu and norovirus and the Derby Door would enable them to isolate patients and carry out deep cleaning."

Choosing the winner, category head judge, Jon Wilks, said: "This ticks an awful lot of boxes in terms of application and was produced cheaply, effectively and intuitively. Instead of coming up with a product and trying to sell it to the NHS, this is a member of staff who has seen a problem, then come up with a solution."

Highly commended: Leading the Way Information Points - Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust/Priestman Goode/Karen Sorensen/Lorna Wain/Yvonne Fortune/Nigel Goode/Ross Lockwood/Endpoint/Frank Irons/Neil Kite

Shortlist:

Contaminated Water Disposal Sink Unit - City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust/Jim Robinson/David McNicholas/Dr Andy Morrison/Dr Paul McAndrew/ Dr Roland Koerner

The Derby Door - Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust/Paul Brooks/Airquee

Dyson Air Multiplier - Dyson Ltd.

Leading the Way Information Points - Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust/Priestman Goode/Karen Sorensen/Lorna Wain/Yvonne Fortune/Nigel Goode/Ross Lockwood/Endpoint/Frank Irons/Neil Kite

Bedcare Luminaire - Healthcare Lighting/Interserve Project Service

Best Building Product Award

Winner: Altro Digiclad in the new children's unit at Salisbury District Hospital - ArtCare/Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust/Altro Walls

BBH Awards 2011 - The winners

Altro Digiclad brings a wealth of new possibilities to interior design, showcased perfectly at the newly-refurbished children's unit at Salisbury Hospital.Entire rooms can be transformed through the unlimited use of colour, texture and images printed onto PVC cladding, creating themed focal points that are lightfast, antibacterial and low maintenance, even in busy clinical areas. Providing an innovative alternative to hand-painted murals, wallpapers and vinyls, the closest alternative currently on the market is printed glass, which is more expensive, requires pre-cutting before installation, and cannot accommodate future alternations.

A spokesman for the manufacturer, Altro, said: "Hospital rooms are already cluttered and Digiclad provides artwork opportunities that are integrated into surfaces and very easy to clean and maintain. Altrosan integral biocide adds antibacterial properties and minimal joints in the installation significantly reduce infection risks."

A play specialist at Salisbury District Hospital added: "Using Digiclad gave us the opportunity to produce rooms that engage patients in their surroundings, delighting and distracting them from clinical procedures. I no longer have to take my box of toys around with me as every bedroom has something to 'play' with in the wall designs. We now have a beautiful, and practical, unit."

Head judge, Jon Wilks, said: "Users have said this is truly fantastic."

Shortlist:

Altro Digiclad in the new children's unit at Salisbury District Hospital - ArtCare/Salisbury NHS FoundationTrust/Altro Walls

N and C Plastic Ply - N and C Phlexicare

Best Product to Improve Patient Pathway Award

Winner: Thopaz - Medela Healthcare/Dr Mark D Cregan

BBH Awards 2011 - The winners

Thopaz is the world's smallest chest drain system, which is revolutionising post-operative care for patients. Unique in combining a digital display that tracks air leaks with a portable suction device, it provides improved patient mobility and enhances dignity and comfort. Dr Mark D Cregan, director of medical relations and evidence-based marketing at manufacturer, Medela Healthcare, said: "Using Thopaz compared to existing chest drainage systems is akin to the difference between squinting to read an old-fashioned mercury thermometer and taking an instant, precise digital reading. The objective data allows surgeons to make more-reliable decisions about when to remove the chest tube, allowing patients to leave hospital earlier."

A recent study from St James's University Hospital in Leeds estimated they saved £18,005 when using Thopaz compared to traditional technologies. Dr Cregan said: "Thopaz heralds a new era of understanding of the pleural cavity thanks to the digital data. As such, it is recognised by clinicians as holding the key to the future of post-operative thoracic care."

Picking it as the winner, product category head judge, Jon Wilks, said: "This is an entrepreneurial innovator who has come up with a solution that is about improving the patient process."

Shortlist:

Thopaz - Medela Healthcare/Dr Mark D Cregan

Stop the Clot Electronic VTE Risk Assessment Tool - Nitro Digital/Sanofi-aventis/Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust

People Category

Best Project Team Award

Winner: BSMHFT Trust 'Food Matters to a Patient's Journey in Mental Health' - Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust

BBH Awards 2011 - The winners

Highly topical following recent criticism over the general lack of nutritional standards in hospitals, the Birmingham team's efforts to improve catering services were driven by a desire both to raise quality and improve sustainability across its six sites. The team, made up of facilities staff, modern matrons and service users, wanted to customise the food service to patients' individual requirements.

Key elements of the new system include a more flexible choice of meals; better, more substantial portions; greater patient involvement in menu choices; a monthly review of services linked to feedback; and a more sustainable, locally-sourced procurement process.

Since their introduction, patients have embraced the changes, claiming they have improved morale and general wellbeing, while there has also been positive feedback from PFI trust sites, with additional food supplements now given to patients at no extra cost from the provider.

Choosing the winner, category head judge, Patricia Young, said: "It is a very comprehensive approach, all the right people are involved and they seem to work well together. It is really innovative and has made a significant change for the better, both in terms of cost and in human terms."

Highly commended: Blaydon Leisure and Primary Care Centre - NHS South of Tyne/Gateshead Council/P+HS Architects/S+P Architects/Willmott Dixon/Cundalls

Highly commended: Malvern Community Hospital - NHS Worcestershire

Shortlist:

Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan Project Team - Aneurin Bevan Health Board/BAM Construction/Nightingale Associates/Davis Langdon

BSMHFT 'Food Matters to a Patient's Journey in Mental Health' - Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust

New ward block for Chesterfield Royal Hospital - Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust/Maxine Simmons/Chris Tann/Guy Barlow/The Manser Practice Architects

Blaydon Leisure and Primary Care Centre - NHS South of Tyne/Gateshead Council/P+HS Architects/S+P Architects/Willmott Dixon/Cundalls

Children's Unit Steering Group, Salisbury District Hospital - Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust/ArtCare/Devereux Architects/Stars Appeal

Malvern Community Hospital - NHS Worcestershire

Healthcare Design Champion of the Year Award

Winner: Tracy Paine - Operations Director, Belong

BBH Awards 2011 - The winners

Currently the operations director at Belong, an award-winning company providing residential villages for older people, Tracy Paine was nominated for her tenacity in striving for the best care and built environments for residents. Working closely alongside stakeholders to provide feedback for the design and construction process, she has been a driving force behind the development of four new villages completed between 2007 and this year, with a further six planned. Also chairman of the National Care Forum's Older People and Dementia Committee, Tracy speaks regularly at national and international conferences and her knowledge and vision for innovative design have inspired the Belong team to create holistic environments that provide intimate private spaces while offering a range of facilities and activities expected in a vibrant community.

Damian Utton of Pozzoni LLP Architects, who has worked with Tracy, said: "Tracy leads the Belong concept from the front, driving all parties to embrace innovation and quality within cost and legislation restraints."

Judge, Sarah Waller, added: "Tracy's work is very current as it does not focus on hospitals, but instead on care home environments. I am very much in favour of paying more attention to the sympathetic design of these spaces."

Shortlist:

Maxine Simmons - Senior Matron, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Mark Hattersley - Capital Projects Director, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Tracy Paine - Operating Director, Belong

Outstanding Achievement Award

Winner: Wendy Marshfield - Capital Development Project Director, NHS Somerset

BBH Awards 2011 - The winners

Singled out by the judges for her 'long-term and far-reaching commitment' to improving health services, Wendy Marshfield has worked in the NHS all her professional life, both in clinical and managerial roles. In 2005, she played a major part in the delivery of the PFI-procured West Mendip Community Hospital at Glastonbury, and then led the new Frome Community Hospital project, which became operational in 2008. She was also heavily involved in the development of South Petherton Community Hospital, which opened this year.

Jan Hull, deputy chief executive of NHS Somerset, said she had shown 'significant skills in diplomacy and public consultation' during her involvement in all the projects, adding: "Wendy's clinical background and managerial experience have given her a balanced insight into the successful provision of healthcare. Her enthusiasm to engage with the entire project team, coupled with her experience, attention to detail and willingness to challenge traditional views and champion new ideas makes her contribution to the quality and design of healthcare buildings genuinely outstanding."

Patricia Young, head category judge, added: "Wendy has been doing this for a very long time and is clearly extremely committed to what she is doing."

Highly commended: Richard H Howe, former Executive Director for Estates and Facilities, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Shortlist:

Mark Maffey - Architect/Project Manager, Studio Mode

Richard H Howe - Former Executive Director for Estates and Facilities, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Wendy Marshfield - Capital Development Project Director, NHS Somerset

Dr Shereen Rahman - GPSI/Practice Manager, ESS Primary Solutions

Chloe Abbott - Project Accountant, Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Special awards

Patient's Choice Award

Winner: The Derby Door - Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust/Paul Brooks/Airquee

With 202 entries to consider, patients' representative, Danny Daniels, vice chairman of the National Association for Patient Participation, was looking for a winner that had made the most valuable contribution to the user experience. And this came in the form of The Derby Door, developed by Paul Brooks, head of facilities management at Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with Airquee.

An inflatable barrier for use in healthcare buildings, the product enables decontamination to be carried out where there have been outbreaks of infections such as C.difficile or norovirus.

"I felt very humble as I was reviewing all of the entries in order to arrive at the one that I thought was making the most valuable contribution to the patient experience," said Daniels. "Of all these entries, I asked myself what was the one thing that stood out for patients. One of the biggest issues is the fear factor about procedures and about hospital acquired infections and, looking at all the entries, I kept coming back to The Derby Door. It is cost effective and does what it says on the tin. The NHS is not very good at sharing innovation, but I hope other trusts take it up."

Clinician's Choice Award

Winner: Baldry Gardens - Henley Halebrown Rorrison/Willmott Dixon/Davis Langdon/Price and Myers/Cundall/Urban Practitioners/Alan Baxter Associates

Combining the 'beauty of the past with a sense of light and space', Dr Sam Everington has singled out Baldry Gardens primary care centre in Streatham as the winner of the new Clinician's Choice Award.

The centre provides a range of GP and community health services and replaces an obsolete health centre and surgery which no longer complied with modern standards.

Relatively small at 1,030sq m, the building has been designed to fit in with the surrounding properties, but to provide a landmark in an area of high diversity.

Choosing his winner, Dr Everington said: "As a doctor I would love to work in this health centre. The design is both great for clinicians and patients as there is an atmosphere of calm, which reduces anxiety in patients and delivers a much more successful consultation.

"The building clearly combines the beauty of the past, a sense of light and space and everything you would expect for the delivery of modern healthcare. It is a great model for the development of primary care in challenging environments."

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