Case study: RHN Wolfson Ward

Cowan Architects were invited by the Royal Hospital of Neuro-disability to submit concept proposals for the enhancement of Wolfson Ward which forms the ground floor of Goodman House.

Goodman House was originally designed by Cowan Architects in the late 1990s with construction being completed in early 2000. At the time of completion, it was a state of the art, modern care facility which reaffirmed the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability’s position as one of the UKs leading Care providers for people with Huntington’s Disease.

In the time since the building was completed, care requirements have changed and the way the building is now used has altered greatly. The main changes which needed to be addressed included:

Changes in the Resident Group: Wolfson Ward was originally designed for residents with late stage Huntington’s Disease, but in recent years the resident group has become much more varied with the ward becoming home to people with earlier stages of Huntington’s with very different needs.

Improvements in Care Standards: Care standards have improved greatly over the past decade with organisations such as The King’s Fund setting the bench mark for long term palliative care.

Advances in the Approach to Care: Staff are now encouraged to be “out on the floor ”, interacting with residents and being proactive in care solutions. This shift in the approach to care now makes the traditional nurse’s station obsolete with staff no longer requiring a base from which to oversee the whole ward.

These changes mean that layout and design of Wolfson Ward, in particular the spaces it provides, needs to be addressed and the time has come for it to be enhanced to meet the needs of modern requirements.

The principle that underpinned the enhancement program pur forward by Cowan Architects was the desire and capacity to make people’s lives and their living environment better. This not only applies to the residents with Huntington’s Disease but also to their visitors and the staff who care for them. This is an important consideration, especially to the lives of people who really need that difference. The Cowan approach to design was to create an exceptional environment for all who use the building. They aim to achieve this by taking a radical approach in the development thought process, looking at each and every space required and the people who will use it. The result is a building design that is progressive and provides an exceptional environment for Huntingdon's care.

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