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Practice Name:
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Vets Now Emergency & Specialist Hospital,
Glasgow
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Design Award for:
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Refurbishment category
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Q1. What
were you trying to achieve/what was your overall goal?
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A1. Since opening the hospital in 2001, the
hospital had grown its emergency and referral caseload so significantly that
it had reached capacity. The
refurbishment enabled the hospital to extend by two floors which has improved
facilities and service for staff, clients and partner practices that refer
cases to us.
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Q2. What were the 3 most
important factors included in your practice design?
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A2. Improve workflow, Increase
space and facilities, offer enhanced service
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Q3. Did you use and architect?
If not, why not?
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A3. We used AKA SBA Architects
in Newcastle Upon Tyne. This was the same architects we worked with on our
Manchester referral hospital project.
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Q4. Why did you decide to
undertake the project?
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A4. To provide an enhanced service to our customers and clients and a
modern state-of-the-art, collaborative working environment for staff. Increase
working area, improve facilities and service.
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Q5. Did you keep within your
budget? If not by what percent did you exceed your budget?
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A5. Our budget was £1.5 million
and the project was delivered on time and on budget
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Q6. With hindsight, what would
you do differently?
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A6. As is always the case - more
storage
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Q7. How has this changed your
business?
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A7. The ground floor offers an
entire space dedicated to emergency and critical care, housing a custom-built
ICU and a new first floor offers greater square footage to accommodate more
theatres, enabling us to enhance and develop our surgical procedures and
services to clients and practices.
In addition to this our new and
improved office and meeting space provides an open-plan working environment
for the increasing hospital team, enhancing collaboration across the hospital’s
core disciplines with better working environment and facilities for staff.
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Q8. What has winning the Design
Award meant to you?
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A8. Being recognised and
shortlisted and then winning has been rewarding for all involved. It also
helps practices and clients understand the work involved and how it has
enhanced facilities now offered.
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Q9. Was the project very
stressful? What was the most stressful situation?
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A9. It took a lot of forward
planning to still be able to operate the daytime referral service during the
renovations. The support and understanding of the team was crucial.
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Q10. What parts of the project
went as you expected and what parts did not?
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A10.
During the ground floor refurbishment
we moved the OOH service to our PDSA partner practice. With careful planning and communication
with practices and clients, his went smoothly and worked well for the period
of time we were there.
There were issues with lift
installation and ongoing problems which proved extremely challenging however
the team worked tirelessly to ensure it did not impact on patient care.
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Q11. Did you use a project manager,
or did you manage the project yourself?
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A11. Project manager: Patricia
Colville, our Business Development Director
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Q12. Who were the main
suppliers that you used?
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A12 W H Kirkwood Ltd
in Greenock was the main contractor
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Q13. What features are
particularly important to you?
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A13. Dedicated ICU area, and separate
floor work areas for referral and ECC which overall create a much better flow
around the hospital and between disciplines.
We were really lacking in
office and admin space previously and having a floor dedicated to work and
meeting space really helped improve communication and productivity between
teams. Finally the addition of a
dedicated cat waiting area enables us to offer ISFM gold standard accredited
service for pet owners
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Q14. Are you and your staff
pleased with the results?
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A14. Yes our staff love the new
facilities and we’re extremely proud of the exceptional emergency centre of
excellent we’ve created here.
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Q15. Are your clients pleased
with the results?
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A15. Yes
our clients have commented on the warm and welcoming reception area as well
as having the dedicated area in our waiting room for cats.
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Q16. What tips do you have for
others contemplating a building /refurbishment project?
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A16. Plan well in advance, and
involve the team. It’s important to have a design team that you trust and
understand what you want to achieve.
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