Flagship PFI opens
11 September 2000
The first major acute hospital PFI, Darent Valley Hospital, has been completed and has recently opened its doors to its first patients.
The £100m flagship hospital, designed by Paulley Nightingale Architects, represents a major centre for acute treatment, replacing services currently provided at three sites. Close teamwork between the Trust and the construction team, headed by Carillion, ensured that the project was run effectively and kept to its very tight schedule.
The hospital is on a large brownfield site outside Dartford, Kent. A clear development master plan strategy for the entire site was evolved by the designers, which places a strong emphasis on flexibility for the future.
The hospital has 400 beds and extensive ambulatory care facilities. With services in the future likely to shift in favour of day care, the whole hospital has been planned to adapt to new configurations, with a two/three storey flexible matrix, served from a large central atrium and very clear hospital streets.
The main entrance is a focal point for the hospital. Fully glazed, it has a wave form roof structure allowing spectacular outlook over the Thames estuary, a view shared by in-patient wards, situated on the upper floors for maximum benefit.
“The project is evidence that PFI delivers on time and that the service will be provided in a high quality physical asset.”
Tim Wilson, head of the Treasury Taskforce's private finance policy scheme
The scheme also earned praise for the logic of the layout and the effective wayfinding strategy. Nightingale Associates' interior designers have deliberately set out to reduce patient stress through careful choice of colour and lighting, colour coded zones and clear signage.
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