Project: Badenoch and Strathspey Community Hospital
Sector: Healthcare
Client: NHS Highland
Delivery authority: hub North Scotland
Main Contractor: Balfour Beatty
Architects: Oberlanders Architects / Rural Design
Furniture: Bespoke hospital furniture and fitout
The Project
Badenoch and Strathspey is a new community hospital in Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands – the first new hospital to be constructed in the Cairngorms National Park.
Built by Balfour Beatty for delivery authority hub North Scotland, Badenoch and Strathspey Community Hospital was a £20m investment by NHS Highland.
The new hospital has 24 inpatient beds, 12 consulting/treatment rooms, a minor injuries unit, outpatients, physiotherapy, NHS dental suite, GP services, x-ray facilities, and provides a base for the Scottish Ambulance Service.
The Furniture Solution
120 rooms across the new hospital were fitted out by Deanestor. Bespoke furniture was manufactured in accordance with SHTM 63, including storage cabinets, wardrobes for the inpatient rooms, shelving, worktops, and fold-away beds.
The storage solutions had a laminate finish in two shades of blue to reflect the sky and the sea in the surrounding landscape. Darker blue was used for the inpatient bedrooms and utility areas, with calming aqua for the treatment areas.
Fully Integrated Furniture Designed for Infection Control
As part of the infection control strategy, infill panels were designed to fully integrate the wall cupboards up to the ceiling. This feature is an efficient and highly effective alternative to sloping cabinet tops to avoid dust gathering on top of the units in the clinical areas.
Deanestor’s contract included supplying curtain tracks around the beds in the treatment rooms and bedrooms, and manufacture of the main reception desk which was finished in glacier white with a contrasting oak laminate finish.
The treatment rooms have fitted cabinets with roller shutters and drawers below. Deanestor fitted out the pharmacy with tall cabinets, worktops, dispensing cabinets with integrated trays, and metal drugs cabinets.
Their team also installed a wide range of specialist equipment across the hospital – from physiotherapy bars to white boards, dispensers, sanitisers, and appliances.
The Customer Perspective
Bill Lobban, Councillor for Badenoch and Strathspey:
“The hospital is exactly what the community wanted. It’s really well designed and I think it’s just fantastic. This is a win-win for us. We get a fabulous new hospital and also get the standards of care we’ve always had.”
This project follows Deanestor’s successful delivery of two education projects for Balfour Beatty and hub North Scotland.
Originally established in 1948 to manufacture hospital furniture and fittings for the newly established NHS, Deanestor now has the resources and expertise to manage 5,000-room hospital projects. It offers bespoke design services to meet the requirements of major healthcare schemes and is responsible for installation to provide a seamless approach and a single point of contact for contractors, NHS trusts and other construction clients.
Awards
- Healthcare Development of the Year, Scottish Property Awards
- Shortlisted for Scottish Design Awards - Healthcare Building category
Images – Niall Hastie