Leengate Outpatients

The Brief

Consideration was given to demolish the derelict buidling and use the space to build a new facility. However, the feasibility on Budget and Green issues salvaged the building with the idea of vastly improving the Trust services facility and freeing up valuable Estate space in the main hospital building for reuse.

The refurbishment of the existing building to form Leengate Outpatients was necessary to extract related Therapy Services from the main hospital building to a separate outpatients building including:

- Clinics

- Physiotherapy

- Orthotics

- Speech Therapy

- Motoneuron

- Older Persons Therapy

This range of related Therapies were previously spread disjointed across several floors of QMC, none were ideal facilities and many aspects had not been updated from the original 1960’s standards. Centralisation was a key factor to the scheme, along with tailoring to specific service requirements, including design for dementia.

The Design

Leengate provides dedicated multi-bay ambulance drop off, straight to the door on the same level, a vast improvement particularly for patients needing to visit Physiotherapy. There are dedicated parking spaces at the door and disabled parking.

Engagement was undertaken with a vast number of stakeholders throughout the design and construction stages and this was a key factor in the success of the scheme.

A holistic view was taken to sustainability, which was delivered initially by avoiding demolition and the embodied energy/carbon associated with a new building.

The creation of a modern top-class environment to support delivery of care helps to retain and recruit staff. The staff now have quality welfare facilities and a pleasant
outdoor break / eating area. All hospital staff get the benefit of out of hours use of the gymnasium.

Neighbouring residents who previously looked at the abandoned building have seen the transformation to deliver new landscaping and fencing to greatly improve the
vista.

The Outcome

The project did not exceed budget, indeed a moderate underspend was reported and reinvested in the facility.

The creation of a modern top-class environment to support delivery of care helps to retain and recruit staff. The staff now have quality welfare facilities and a pleasant
outdoor break / eating area. All hospital staff get the benefit of out of hours use of the gymnasium.

Neighbouring residents who previously looked at the abandoned building have seen the transformation to deliver new landscaping and fencing to greatly improve the
vista.

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, providing clear evidence of the positive impact of the project on patients, visitors and staff.