Top national award for Newcastle hospital building

A new £80 million world class centre for cancer care and renal services has won a prestigious national design award – even before it has fully opened its doors to patients.

The Northern Centre for Cancer Care and Renal Services, based at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, was named “Best Hospital Design” in the Building Better Healthcare awards, the UK’s biggest and most respected awards for healthcare and the built environment, which this year attracted a record number of entries.

The centre was chosen from a shortlist of four, including two other new cancer centres. Reading out the judges’ citation, awards host Quentin Wilson said: “The patient experience is at the centre of the Northern Centre for Cancer Care design - attending to the relationship of inside to outside; as public spaces and most treatment spaces look onto either the outside or a courtyard.”

The centre, which fully opens for patient care early next year, was commended for the close working relationship between the Trust, architects and contractors.

Bill Headley, project director for the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to be given recognition with this award that follows over seven years of hard work. The judges commended the project, not just for the quality of the architecture and patient environment, but also the great lengths the team had gone to on the fine detailing throughout the building.”

The Northern Centre for Cancer Care and Renal Services is a major element of the "Transforming the Newcastle Hospitals" programme - a major building and reorganisation project bringing all of Newcastle's acute hospital services together to support staff in the delivery of fully integrated, high quality patient care fit for the 21st century.

Costing in excess of £300 million, this is the largest healthcare modernisation project ever seen in the North East and one of the largest in the country. It will see the relocation of all acute hospital services from the Newcastle General Hospital to the Trust two other sites, the Royal Victoria Infirmary and the Freeman Hospital, transforming healthcare provision in the region for generations to come.

The NCCC architect Bahman Tavacoli of Anshen + Allen, said: “This award is particularly important because it is given by our peers. Part of the success of the NCCC is down to the close and collaborative relationships adopted by the whole team. The Trust’s project team remained a strong champion of our design and helped maintain its integrity throughout the process, from conception to completion.

“Our contemporary design keeps the patient at the heart of the building. Despite the complex and high tech nature of the facility we have successfully created soothing, patient-friendly environments. The inclusion of two spacious, landscaped central courtyards provides patients and staff with pleasant and restful environments, and maximises daylight penetration into the building.

“We also positioned the radiotherapy treatment areas wholly at ground level – a dramatic departure from other dingy and uninviting oncology departments in the UK, typically located at basement level and out of view.”

Andrew Jackson, of Laing O’Rourke, that constructed the NCCC, said: “I am delighted that the design has been recognised in the Building Better Healthcare Awards and proud that Laing O’Rourke forms part of the team delivering this vital facility. We each react to our physical environment and the award recognises the positive impacts a well designed hospital can play in the delivery of a more effective healthcare service, improving motivation and wellbeing to patients, visitors and staff.”