A public consultation on the proposal to establish a single enhanced main entrance for St Bernard’s Hospital and Primary Care Centre
This consultation is being led by the Gibraltar Health Authority and will run until Friday 15 September 2023
About this consultation
This consultation describes the changes that we wish to make to the main entrance to our hospital and how we would like to hear your views on these proposed changes. Please view the animation video of the proposal below.
The overarching aims of this proposal is to:
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- Improve the patient flow in and out of the hospital and PCC including checking in and booking appointments
- Enhance overall patient experience and waiting facilities when attending the hospital
- Improve the efficiency of the administrative functions of the hospital and primary care centre by creating a larger single hospital entrance and an integrated administrative hub
Introduction
St. Bernard’s Hospital on the current site opened in 2005 following a major refurbishment of a large office complex. In 2019, the Primary Care Centre (PCC) was added occupying part of the original St. Bernard’s Hospital on the ground floor with a separate entrance.
The Case for Change
Across St Bernard’s Hospital and Primary Care Centre, a space utilisation review identified the following challenges:
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- Clinical services being too dispersed with some services becoming isolated or space constrained when they were displaced by the creation of Primary Care Centre
- Several clinical services with less-than-ideal clinical adjacencies to best manage patient flows and experience
- Non-clinical services randomly allocated across the hospital site in traditional layouts compromising clinical space
- Space constraints due to poor space planning for most specialities and leaving them unable to comply fully with UK health/hospital building standards
- A range of backlog maintenance issues on the hospital site that hinder clinical efficiencies and service resilience
- Two adjacent but separate public-facing entrances with wasted space, duplication of services and resources that confuse patient flows, make for poor way finding are not particularly welcoming from a physical perspective
The Proposal
To create a single entrance integrating the main general hospital and primary care centre to:
• Improve patient flow
• Create single point of enquiry
• Offer space for health education, promotion and information-sharing whilst waiting
• Introduce digital check in and booking systems
• Improve disabled access
• Provide further opportunities to enhance patient experience and support when using the hospital
• Integrate reception, security functions, admission, booking and general administration to release space for clinical services
The project will be primarily funded from the generous public donations received in appreciation of GHA’s responses to Covid-19 pandemic.
The design principles set out the design theme, functional elements, ensures proposal is ‘fit for purpose’ and complies with UK health building standards and includes:
• Welcoming design aesthetic including featured artwork in appreciation of the generosity of donors
• Single health campus architectural design approach with clear wayfinding
• Improved and fully accessible internal and external landscaped facilities
• Fully accessible & seating areas and WC facilities for people of all ages with a range of needs
• Integrated reception and security facilities covering the hospital and primary care centre
• Weather protected entrance open 24/7 adjacent to the main reception/security area
• Self-booking kiosks for primary care and outpatient check in
• Seated general waiting area on arrival with large display screens
• Health hub offering health promotion, ill-health prevention and healthy living supports
• Discrete base for hospital attendants with appropriate wheelchair storage facility
• Check-in kiosks and consolidated administrative space on first floor releasing more space for clinical services
• Improved disabled access including accessible WCs and access to wheelchairs and hospital assistance
How will services be affected if the proposals to transform services do not go ahead?
The risks to services if the proposal fails to go ahead are summarised below:
• Continue to operate separate public-facing entrances with wasted space and resources
• Duplication of reception and security services and resources
• Confusing patient flow and poor way finding
• Lack of fully publicly accessible facilities such as WCs and seating area
• Limited use of external landscape
• Loss of opportunities to consolidate administration offices to release space for clinical use and improve efficiency
• Unwelcoming entrance and environment impacting on patient experience
What happens next?
We want to know what you think about these proposed changes and whether they will achieve the aims and objectives we have described. We would also like to know if there is anything else you would wish to see that we have not addressed here. We want to hear from everyone who has an interest in our health care services – the public, people who use our services, carers, people working in health and social care services, people from community and voluntary organisations and others.
