Benenden Hospital has won a prestigious award for its £55million re-development at the 2018 Building Better Healthcare Awards.
The hospital scooped the Best Internal Environment New Build award in the Patient Experience Class.
The new building, officially opened by Dr Hilary Jones in April, boasts a new Main Atrium and Heritage Wall celebrating its 111-year history as well as new inpatient and outpatient areas.
Photographs by artist and photographer Hugh Turvey were designed to create a calming environment for patients helped by the hospital’s rural location, situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty.
The artwork brings the outdoors inside and the past to the present with photos of the old hospital and medical artefacts fully digitialised into a display across a 15-screen digital wall.
The judges said: “This has been really very well done. The design has provided a new hospital entrance and has also linked existing hospital departments and services.
“The reception area, in particular, is very welcoming and the waiting area cleverly subdivided.
“Thought has been given to maximizing the available natural light and artworks that have been well integrated into the overall design.”
The annual Building Better Healthcare Awards are held to honour the innovation, architecture, people, products and services helping to transform patient care in the NHS and private sector.
Benenden Hospital beat strong competition from nine other healthcare building developments throughout the UK to win the Patient Experience Class at the London awards ceremony at The Brewery.
The Design Buro was commissioned by Benenden Hospital to provide interior design services for its re-development and the aim was to enhance the patient journey by connecting existing buildings and departments on different levels.
Hospital Development Project Director Graham Goddard said: “The hospital has repeatedly demonstrated that it is outstanding and winning this award is another example of how, together, we have created an environment which makes those who walk through our doors feel special.
“What we’ve tried to do is make it state of the art and very modern but respect our history and heritage.”
Published on 05 November 2018