PHd was commissioned by Worcestershire Royal Hospital’s NHS Trust to lead the design and delivery of a £10m+ major development as part of the Trust’s Acute Services Reconfiguration (ASR) strategy, with assisted the Trust’s goal of transferring critical complex and high-risk emergency clinical services to Worcestershire Royal Hospital.
Part of the strategy was to recommission a 1970s 4-storey detached clinical block known as Aconbury East, which was initially built as a geriatric ward but later used as offices and clinical overflow. This required significant internal and external refurbishment to achieve the necessary clinical accommodation and upgrade the building fabric's thermal performance to fit modern-day healthcare. The proposals included three general wards and a high-dependency unit supporting adult surgical inpatient activity. The additional capacity was paramount in accommodating forecasted attendances and assisting the Trust in operating efficiently and meeting clinical needs for patient care.
The fabric upgrade and a significant MEP services overhaul helped achieve a BREEAM Very Good rating. The most fundamental requirement for recommissioning Aconbury East as essential clinical accommodation was to form a physical link to the main PFI hospital complex. This was achieved by introducing a new 72m long elevated link bridge that connected both buildings at the second-floor level.
