A healthcare environment is characterised by the need for operational efficiency, adaptability and service continuity. In these dynamic spaces, continuous effective movement of people and goods underpin the delivery of all healthcare services.
We work with contractors, architects, estate managers and trusts to optimise the design and use of their healthcare facilities to put people movement at the heart of all design and operational decisions.
Some examples of the ways we work with our clients are:
New building designs must offer a balanced provision of clinical facilities and waiting space to ensure avoidable bottlenecks do not limit the capacity of clinical pathways, resulting in certain facilities going underutilised whilst the waiting area. Evidence based right-sizing can help save critical space within a design or form the basis of strategic investment decisions to increase capacity exactly where it is needed.
Understanding the level of circulation demand throughout a hospital is essential during the design stage. This allows the design to incorporate the correct provision of space to facilitate a positive patient/visitor experience and ensures staff can get where they need to be without delay. The building must also be assessed holistically to develop an effective vertical circulation strategy that considers outpatient and visitor movement, staff journeys, portering requirements and facility management activities.
Healthcare buildings are notoriously complex environments to evacuate with limited ability for trials and rehearsals. The latest modelling tools can provide powerful insights into the expected evacuation performance of new designs or existing buildings. Extensive scenario testing allows for the optimisation of a wide variety of operational variables to ensure that staff training, patient distribution, evacuation equipment provisions and evacuation procedures are all finely tuned to ensure an effective response in an emergency scenario.
We work with each client to understand their individual challenges, agreeing the best tools and methodologies to deliver a bespoke solution that meets their objectives.
Typically, we leverage a range of data collection methods to reveal new insights into the current facility operations or extract relevant data from similar operations to inform new designs. Technical modelling tools are often used to understand the movement performance of a space and estimate its circulation and dwelling requirements. We draw upon our team’s extensive experience observing crowd movement and knowledge of regulatory standards to produce practical recommendations that meet industry standards whilst accounting for the particular patient and visitor needs seen in a healthcare environment.
We deliver our outputs in highly visual presentations and impactful 3D simulations, supporting effective communication of our findings to a wide range of stakeholders.
