Chelsea & Westminster NICU & ICU
London, UK - Healthcare
The next stage for a major general hospital in South West London.
Ryder were commissioned to deliver the redevelopment and expansion of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Facilitating leading care through world class facilities.
Originally completed in 1993, the NICU and ICU spaces no longer met the current healthcare standards, nor facilitated the world class standards aspired to by the Trust. To address these issues, our approach included both new build and refurbishment elements with the aim to offer a contemporary ‘home from home’ care environment to the highest standard.
Improved patient spaces, improved staff workflow.
The extension and refurbishment work provides 42 cot spaces for NICU, adjacent to the labour and private maternity wards, and 20 bed spaces for ICU. It was critical that the existing NICU remained live throughout construction, particularly the active routes between the labour and private maternity wards into NICU. Alongside the Trust and the hospital users, a complex phasing strategy was developed to mitigate disruption.
A design based on extensive research to ensure an optimum environment for patient care.
Within the ICU the bed spaces were designed into zones with clinical space separated from a family visiting area and fixed seating along the window wall. The media wall opposite the bed space was designed to offer tv and other recreational facilities whilst also housing the bed hoist and nurse preparation area, creating a less clinical and more normalised environment whilst complying with stringent infection control requirements. Sliding doors to the bed spaces with smart glass optimised observation whilst allowing privacy and dignity to be maintained.
Similarly, within the NICU, zones around the cot spaces allowed for family attendance, without interfering with clinical functionality requirements. A sophisticated lighting system enabled clinical examinations as well as soft mood lighting to be created to calm and reassure.
