Study tours

The National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) will provide clinical, physical, and mental rehabilitation facilities for those who have suffered brain or physical trauma. The project will contribute to patient wellbeing and facilitate their recovery in a world class facility. The NRC will be a national resource for learning and healthcare which is underpinned by a partnership between the Nottinghamshire University Hospital Trust, University of Nottingham, Loughborough University and the Ministry of Defence.

The NRC will primarily receive patients from across the East Midlands, many of them anticipated to come through the East Midland’s Major Trauma Centre – the busiest in the UK.

Nationally, the NRC will lead rehabilitation research and innovation, as well as providing training and education through an NRC Academy, all in collaboration with a consortium of 26 Universities throughout England. Patients at the NRC will have the opportunity to take part in research during their stay, with the aim of significantly reducing the time between identifying effective new treatments and those treatments benefitting patients. Clinical staff will also all be encouraged to take part in research and educational activity.

What happens at the NRC is anticipated to be of international significance too – the research, innovation and evolution in rehabilitation technology and treatment is anticipated to be global in its impact and future potential.

(Subject to confirmation)

Designed by Piers Gough of CZWG Architects and completed in 2011, the Maggie’s Centre Nottingham is a striking example of how architecture can transform the experience of healthcare support. Located on a wooded slope within the grounds of Nottingham City Hospital, the centre sits between the oncology department and breast unit, providing a calm and welcoming environment for people affected by cancer.

The building’s distinctive form—an arrangement of overlapping green-glazed ceramic ovals—creates a playful and recognisable presence that contrasts with the surrounding hospital buildings. Elevated above the hillside on a semi-basement and reached via a bridge, the centre appears to float among the trees, offering privacy while maintaining a close connection to the hospital campus.

Inside, the architecture prioritises light, openness and domestic comfort rather than clinical formality. Curved roofs and soffits shape rooms of varied heights, while spaces flow easily from a central kitchen to smaller private rooms and meeting areas. Large balconies extend the interior spaces into the landscape, allowing visitors to sit among the treetops and reconnect with nature.

The interior, designed by Nottingham-born fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, adds colour, pattern and personality, reinforcing the building’s welcoming atmosphere and encouraging conversation and social connection.

Through its Better Communities Programme, South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust (SWLSTG) is delivering a £280m self-funded capital investment to create inclusive mental health environments across Wandsworth, Richmond and Kingston. The programme aims to go beyond buildings by creating new landscapes that break mental health stigma to support access and create first-class environments for patients and staff, integrated into the local community.

In Wandsworth, Better Communities has transformed Springfield University Hospital’s 92-acre Victorian estate into a new ‘Springfield Village’, co-located with new mental health facilities. Developed through 400 consultations, the village and the new facilities have replaced unused NHS land and derelict buildings. The village includes:

• two mental health buildings, Trinity and Shaftesbury;
• a 32-acre public park in Tooting;
• shops, cafes and a gym;
• more than 1200 new homes, including affordable homes;
• a new care home; and
• investment in local transport facilities.

Trinity and Shaftesbury buildings: Opened on time and to budget in December 2022, Trinity is home to more than 30 teams and provides care for patients in two acute wards, two specialist wards, and adult community and children and young people’s outpatient facilities. The Shaftesbury building opened in October 2023 and is home to specialist forensic wards, including a regional forensic learning disabilities ward. The building also provides parking facilities, a gym and restaurant for the wider hospital site.

• A separate dedicated tour is also being arranged to Springfield Village for invited attendees only at the Global Health Infrastructure Workshop on the morning of Wednesday 17th and NHS Estates directors in coordination with NHS England. Contact marc@salus.global.

Opened in 2019 on the grounds of the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Maggie’s at the Royal Marsden offers a vibrant and uplifting architectural response to cancer care. Designed by Ab Rogers Design, the centre provides a welcoming place for people living with cancer, their families and friends—offering practical advice, emotional support and a calm environment away from the clinical hospital setting.

The building is conceived as a small cluster of interconnected volumes arranged around a central courtyard. Clad in glazed terracotta tiles in graduating shades of red—from deep carmine to coral—the structure has a warm, handcrafted appearance that contrasts with the institutional character of the hospital nearby. The composition of forms creates a dynamic silhouette while also allowing daylight and views of the surrounding landscape to reach deep into the interior spaces.

At the heart of the building is a double-height kitchen and communal table, reflecting Maggie’s philosophy that conversation and shared experience are central to healing and support. Around this social core, a series of rooms of varying size and atmosphere offer spaces for counselling, quiet reflection, or informal gatherings. Carefully selected materials, colour and light create an environment that feels domestic, welcoming and emotionally supportive rather than institutional.

The centre is set within a richly planted garden designed by renowned landscape architect Piet Oudolf. With more than 12,000 plants arranged in a series of interconnected garden zones, the landscape provides year-round colour and texture while offering places for contemplation and respite.

The Harold Moody Health Centre is a new civic neighbourhood health hub at the heart of the Aylesbury Estate regeneration in Southwark. Designed to support integrated, community-centred care, the centre brings together GP practices, community health services delivered by Guy’s and St Thomas’, and an Early Years nursery within a single building, creating a collaborative ecosystem that improves access to care and addresses the wider determinants of health.

Located on a new public square alongside housing, a library and community amenities, the centre functions as both essential healthcare infrastructure and a welcoming social anchor for the neighbourhood. Its design promotes openness, accessibility and dignity, with clear wayfinding, generous circulation, abundant daylight and natural materials creating a calm, inclusive environment for patients, staff and families.

The project demonstrates how co-location of services can support more holistic care. Multidisciplinary teams—including pharmacists, physiotherapists, mental health professionals and community health specialists—work alongside GPs to deliver coordinated support for local residents. Flexible clinical and community spaces allow the building to adapt as healthcare models evolve, while areas such as group rooms and meeting spaces can host community activities beyond clinical hours.

Sustainability and resilience are integral to the design. Passive environmental strategies, efficient building systems and durable materials support long-term performance and wellbeing, while landscape and nature-based features in the surrounding square encourage social interaction and connection to nature.
(pictured bottom left, image credit © Andy Stagg for Morris+Company)

In support of its Five Year Strategic Plan, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust commissioned a masterplan to guide the long-term redevelopment of its estate across both acute hospital sites. This has culminated in a major new development at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, representing a significant investment in the future of healthcare provision across Dorset.

The new facility has been designed around the patient journey—from appointment through diagnosis, treatment and aftercare. A clear and welcoming main entrance leads to high-quality clinical spaces that enable clinicians to assess, diagnose and treat patients more efficiently.

The hospital includes one of the largest emergency departments on the south coast, alongside an Urgent Treatment Centre and a dedicated imaging unit equipped with two CT scanners and three X-ray rooms. A new 30-bed Critical Care Unit provides spacious single bedrooms that enhance patient privacy, reduce infection risk and create a more supportive environment for both patients and staff.

Women’s services are centred on a new maternity unit designed to prioritise privacy and family-centred care, with 86% single en-suite rooms. The unit supports the highest standards of midwife-led care and includes seven birthing pools, six birthing rooms, two obstetric theatres, a Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU), Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and dedicated antenatal and postnatal care areas.

The children’s ward, located on the top floor, features a paediatric unit with single rooms offering views across the coast and surrounding forest. Flexible spaces support parents and carers to stay close to their children, while dedicated areas for schooling, recreation and social interaction help create a supportive and healing environment.

Following its work with the Trust to develop the vision and masterplan, Arcadis was appointed as part of the Integrated Healthcare Projects team under the ProCure22 (P22) framework to deliver the project.