Designing health and social care facilities for all

Designing and refurbishing health and social care facilities can be a daunting task. What attributes does the facility need to have to let people deliver and receive services? How can the investment bring additional benefits to the community?  

From addressing the demands of various healthcare services to meeting the requirements of government legislation, the challenges that arise require a solution that meets the needs of your patients, staff and local communities.  

We are working alongside the Scottish Government Health & Social Care Directorate (SGHSCD) and Health Facilities Scotland (HFS) to support health boards and those who commission new or substantially redeveloped facilities to create healing places for people in Scotland. We also: 

• support the development of a design statement to illustrate what success might look like 
• share good practice examples of other health and social care design projects 
• help set strategic design standards for your project 
• test designs against the standards and agreed vision 
• advise Scottish Government on the potential of projects to deliver the environment needed 
• support consideration of planning applications 

We have a variety of resources available on our website that can help you design better health and social care facilities. From guides to galleries and blogs to case studies, the resources on our website focus on placing people at the heart of the decision-making process.

NHSScotland recognises the principles of good design and how it impacts the longevity of our health and social care facilities. NHSScotland Design Assessment Process (NDAP) is an integral part of SGHSCH's ‘Scottish Capital Investment Manual’ and establishes the process for NHS procurement.  

The process helps NHS Boards create a clear path between their business objectives, the national healthcare design and sustainability standards to meet the needs of communities, patients and staff. Visit our NDAP page to learn more about this process and how we can help optimise the design of your facility.