February 22, 2006—The government-backed Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) is launching a new campaign to highlight the impact of good design on local healthcare facilities.
CABE says the time is right for this, as there is a strategic shift for healthcare in England, with services being provided closer to home instead of from big hospitals.
Treatment is being diverted from hospitals into neighborhood facilities, in a new patient-centered approach that links health and social care closely together, CABE says.
In response, the organization is calling for the built environment to secure proper recognition in the debate on health and well-being. All new health centers, polyclinics and redeveloped community hospitals should provide a high quality facility for both patients and staff, the group says. CABE is also warning that patients and staff may otherwise be stuck with buildings which fail to meet the new model of healthcare provision.
The campaign is being launched with the publication of a new report, Designed with care: Design and neighbourhood healthcare buildings, which examines 15 of the best neighborhood health care buildings in the UK.
For more information, visit the CABE Web site.
