Barrhead Health and Social Care Centre
On 12 December 2011 Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon officially opened the new £18 million Barrhead Health and Social Care Centre. The new facility, provides a wide range of health services, including GP, dental, physiotherapy and older adult day services, alongside community services such as district nursing, health visiting and home care. The centre is also notable in that it is run in partnership between NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and East Renfrewshire Council, with both organisations sharing ownership of the building.
Barrhead H&SCC, located in Barrhead’s Main Street, was described by the Health Minister at the opening as a representation of the “radical reform that is badly needed to improve care for older people.” Following the visit, Ms Sturgeon confirmed that new legislation is to be introduced at the Scottish Parliament to reform Community Health Partnerships, which will see these replaced by Health and Social Care Partnerships, managed by the NHS and local authorities, as exemplified in the new centre at Barrhead. Initially these Health and Social Care Partnerships are set to focus on improving care for older people.
The building, which is seen as a new model of healthcare delivery, was designed by Avanti Architects, a London based architectural practice established in 1981, which has been involved in numerous healthcare projects.
In design terms the care accommodation has been located on the ground and first floors and organised around a triple height top lit atrium. Access to the care areas is from the atrium and areas are self-contained and planned on a straight section of corridor. The day care centre for the elderly has its own entrance and garden. The accommodation layout and boundaries between departments have been designed to be flexible and easily altered as services evolve and change in the future.
The light filled and airy public areas of the building are designed to be welcoming, with waiting areas located either in or directly off the atrium with views over a park and the hills to the rear of the building. The atrium space has also been designed to accommodate small exhibitions and events.
Moving up through the building, the second floor accommodates offices for a range of local authority social services and outreach staff including speech therapists, community care staff, occupational therapists, an adult mental health team, district nurses and health visitors. Additionally, there is a staff room and external roof terrace and meeting rooms.
In terms of energy efficiency, the highly insulated building is heated via a ground source heat pump connected to a geothermal energy array of PV panels located underneath the car park. Carefully placed glazed units optimize solar gain and most of the clinical spaces and offices are naturally ventilated.
The external car parking and site boundaries have been sensitively detailed with a combination of hard and soft landscaping. The building also features a series of specially commissioned artworks.
Flexible Floor Space
Ground Floor Plan
First Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan
Site Plan
All images © Avanti Architects