Health Service Planning, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children (UK)
Client Issue: Whereas the Bristol Royal Infirmary is a relatively recent construction, as is the Maternity Unit, the Children’s Hospital, dating from Victorian times was too small, too cramped & too isolated.
Part of the problem was geographical as the Maternity Unit is situated at the top of a long steep hill with the Infirmary at the bottom. The Children’s Hospital was also sited at the top of the hill but separated from the Maternity Unit by a busy road (part way up the hill, but closer to the Infirmary is a relatively new large Oncology Unit). Within the Trust there was no clarity about the Strategy for siting the New Children’s Hospital, so in 1995, Synergy was asked to carry out a hospital planning review.
Solution: We developed the logic for informing this decision, arguing from first principles (& from best practice examples gathered from 16 leading children’s hospitals worldwide) that the prime consideration should be the co-terminosity of Acute Children’s & Adult Health Services to facilitate continuity of care.
One of the main aims of the design, in addition to providing the most up-to-date facilities possible, was to overcome a range of difficulties. For example: there was a great clinical need for more single cubicles & in the new hospital, over 40% of the total number of beds are in single rooms, many of which have en-suite facilities; where possible patient beds have adjacent beds for parents to stay overnight; patients no longer need to be transported up & down St Michaels Hill for investigations at the Infirmary or the Oncology Centre as they did in the old Children's Hospital, but have direct access into both buildings.
The planning vision was based on: the child’s-eye view of both the physical surroundings & how the place feels; the need for a relaxed, interesting & secure environment to reduce fear for the child & for the family, recognising the vital role that the family plays in recovery - meeting the needs of the whole family.
Outcome: A site adjacent to the Bristol Royal Infirmary which was occupied by the Physiotherapy Department (in wooden huts) was cleared & the new Bristol Royal Hospital for Children (BRCH) was opened in April 2001, with direct links to the Infirmary. This initiative has been well received by families & staff, ensuring that this dedicated paediatric hospital (the only one in SW England) provides a modern & comprehensive range of hospital & community services for the local population, as part of the United Bristol Healthcare Trust (UBHT) which includes seven hospitals.