Princess Royal University Hospital
(formerly Farnborough Hospital)
Farnborough common
Orpington, Kent, BR6 8ND
01689 863000
The Princess Royal University Hospital has 525 beds and day case facilities – the thoughtful design has outpatient services adjacent to the public parking at the front of the hospital. Buses drive onto site for drop off and pick-up. The inpatient beds are to the rear of the site overlooking common land or courtyards giving maximum natural light. The clinical service areas (imaging, pathology, laboratory, pharmacy and sterilising departments occupy the centre of the building. There are discreet parent and child entrance for access to paediatric and maternity departments.
The hospital provides a full range of acute general hospital services. Also on site are:
The Alan Cummings Day Surgery Unit
The West Kent Eye Centre
The Chartwell Unit and
The Education Centre.
The hospital has been designed to provide as much flexibility as possible. This means healthcare staff work in a building which ensures they can adapt to changes in the way healthcare is provided in the future. Design teams involving clinical staff have been instrumental in deciding the design of the hospital and individual departments and have worked with the architects to ensure the design meets the clinical needs.
The external shape is sympathetic to the environment, with sweeping curves rather than harsher angles. Natural terracotta colours are used, together with maximum use of glass and interior courtyards to ensure a light and airy feel to the hospital interior. The environment and in particular natural light and sensitive use of colour schemes, is important to the recovery of patients.
The interior has been designed to ensure good access for patients and visitors, with the different departments easy to find. In the new hospital we have moved away from the more familiar wards to a far more flexible arrangement of single rooms and single-sexed four bedded bays, arranged in clusters of 20-28. There are no mixed sex wards.
Clinical support areas such as theatres, x-ray and pathology are positioned in the central areas of the hospital to ensure good access. There is a discreet mother and child unit, with its own separate entrance. The new A&E department, positioned on the ground floor, has its own ambulance and walk-in entrances.
