Renfrew Health and Social Care Centre

An award-winning health and social care centre that successfully incorporates three GP Practices, various NHS Services, and Social Work services.

A side view of the Renfrew Health Social Care Centre three-storey building, showcasing exposed concrete and blue stained windows.
Published: 15/01/2010

The Renfrew Health and Social Work Centre offers its users a diverse range of services, jointly provided by NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Renfrewshire Community Health Partnership. The purpose-built facility has received much critical acclaim since opening in March 2010. 

“The opening of this outstanding facility marks a major milestone in regeneration of Renfrew’s town centre. Bringing together all the services under one roof will ensure that residents have excellent and seamless access to the services they need, when they need them.” 

Councillor Derek Mackay, Leader of Renfrewshire Council

Case study: Renfrew Health and Social Care Centre

Download this case study to take away key learnings and additional architectural information not found on this page. 

The decision to use a Design and Build tendering process

In 2003, when the project to replace the existing Renfrew Health Centre was first conceived, the local authority, in collaboration with several user groups and clinicians, developed a scheme design. However, the procurement of the project then stalled due to funding problems. 

When Argyll & Clyde Health Board dissolved in 2006, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde took on the project. With a reputation for commissioning well-designed new community healthcare buildings, the team was keen to improve the existing proposal. They made a radical decision to search for better design ideas through a Design and Build tendering process. 

What did the new tendering process include? 

The tendering process included documents such as: 

  • the previous design and its planning consent 
  • a description to encourage alternate design highlighting its importance in the bid assessment 
  • information regarding Architecture and Design Scotland as part of the assessing panel 

The market rose to the challenge as all the proposals submitted by the three shortlisted teams improved on the ‘exemplar’ scheme.  

How were the proposals evaluated? 

The proposals were presented to stakeholders such as the patient/public forum, various social work and health managers and other building users to include their opinions as part of the evaluation. 

The client team also used the Achieving Excellence Design Evaluation Toolkit (AEDET) to form a structured basis for recording their assessment of each proposal. Holmes Partnership’s concept won based on quality. 

Sustainability measures as an integral part of the buildings design

A biomass boiler provides most of its heating requirements as this helps to reduce CO2 emissions. It was rarely used over the summer months because of the ability of the building's fabric to effectively retain heat. 

The amount of energy required to artificially light the centre has similarly been moderated. This is due to the amount of natural light that floods the interior through floor-to-ceiling windows and roof lights wherever possible. 

In addition to these measures, the modular nature of the building's steel superstructure has a degree of flexibility. This means that the internal layout could be reconfigured to suit the needs of any of the services should they change or grow in the future. 

Key lessons learned from Renfrew Health and Social Work Centre

The teams involved agree that the centre was constructed with a much closer working arrangement between the client, contractor and designers than might normally be expected in Design and Build. Though, they’re clear that this is due to getting the right people around the table and the right approach.  

All involved with the project are commended for their aspirations and determination. Key lessons learned to inform forthcoming developments include the following: 

Benefits of the design statement within the SCIM 

There is a need to have someone with an understanding of the way a building ‘flows’ rather than simply slotting each service together within the development. 

As the project team inherited a lot of information late into the process, this mindset was not thought out from the outset. 

It impacted things such as: 

  • the use of the courtyards due to privacy concerns (the consulting rooms look into these areas, and the intended patient use of these areas would impact privacy) 
  • future flexibility of the three-winged layout impacting the way services in each wing might adapt over time 

Project Manager, Stephen Baker, sees the benefits of the design statement within SCIM in identifying and briefing this ‘flow’. 

Including a variety of stakeholders in the design process 

The value of actively engaging users and the wider community in the detailed design of spaces, from school kids working on the design of stained glass to clinicians looking where the plug socket goes.  

Although significant time and effort is involved in making this engagement meaningful, it can yield unexpected gains. An example includes a simpler access solution which the board’s Better Access To Heath (BATH) group came up with. 

Providing quality of care to patients

The architect aspired to create a building that had a distinct feeling of welcome and the overall build has been well received by its communities and staff:  

  • visitors and staff of Renfrew Health and Social Care Centre can easily find their way around the centre with little fuss or confusion thanks to the building’s simple layout and natural flow 
  • it doesn’t feel at all busy even on days when the building is being used to its full capacity by all the services  
  • the care environment within the centre has an uplifting sense of calm and serenity as each of the services are self-contained within their respective areas 

This also aligns with the centre’s objective to maintain the quality of the care provided, as highlighted by Liz Cowie, the Operational Support Manager at the centre, who said: 

“I think we always gave good care, but I think we’re giving good care in a really nice environment now.” 

A health centre that achieves overwhelming success

The centre has been a huge hit with patients and has been heralded as a real triumph, with worthy praise in both local and national press.  

In November 2010, Health Facilities Scotland honoured the project’s success by awarding it their annual Design Award as well as the Paul Taylor Award, which is given to the best overall project out of all the Health Facilities Scotland Award winners.  

Shortly after the awards ceremony Councillor Eileen McCartin, Convenor of Renfrewshire Council’s Community and Family Care Policy Board, said that:

“The positive feedback we’ve had locally since the centre opened has now been backed up with two prestigious national awards. Clearly the centre is already going from strength to strength.” 

It is even considered miraculous by one of its users. Effie McGahie, involved from beginning to end, was initially sceptical about the project but was converted by the scheme:  

“We are highly delighted with the new centre. It’s beautiful, really modern and bright. In fact if you go in feeling unwell, you come out feeling better because it is just so nice inside! Having all the service together under one roof is a major benefit too.” 

Header image credit: Holmes Millar Architects

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