Al Khor Hospital ICU and Diabetes Clinic

Al Khor Hospital is in the North of Qatar, just outside of Doha. The first part of the brief was to improve the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and deliver additional capacity. The existing ICU is located on the ground floor of the north wing of the Hospital. It faced a number of issues including:

• Accommodation well below recommended sizes
• Patient Privacy due to open bays
• Inadequate storage across the department  

Alongside the ICU, the project also includes a new diabetes clinic in a nearby building. Qatar has one of the highest prevalence of diabetes worldwide, due to obesity, diet, and physical inactivity. Around 35-40% of the adult population has diabetes or pre-diabetes, and it is one of the government's key health priorities to address - Al Khor is part of that response.  

Using UK HBN compliant spaces, the ICU overcame the existing facilities spatial challenges by extending into an adjacent double width oversized corridor and courtyard.

The new unit provides 9 Adult ICU beds, a dedicated waiting area, and associated clinical support. One room is an isolation suite with an ensuite and a gowning lobby, the other 8 are single bedrooms improving privacy considerably. A new ICU waiting space with café facilities offers a breakout space for visiting families and carers. The ground and first floors of a former staff accommodation apartment block is converted to provide the new Diabetes and Physiotherapy Outpatient Clinics.

Located opposite the main hospital, the ground floor of the block provides Physiotherapy Services with the first floor as a Diabetes Clinic. The challenges of the project that needed to be overcome were:

• Wheelchair and stretcher access (the building only had a stepped approach)
• Lift size, not large enough for stretchers.
• Only one fire escape stair
• Drop off and emergency access.

Murphy Philipps led the briefing, concept, and schematic design stages meeting with users regularly to develop the scheme. Our local partners, All Design, developed the project to completion.

The new facility delivers a modern environment meeting current spatial standards and improved clinical activity areas. Privacy issues have been addressed, and spatial flows enhance efficiencies. An added benefit is improved staff facilities, including a new rest area. The Diabetic and Physiotherapy clinic delivers a ‘one stop shop’ close to the community, significantly reducing patient travel times for consultation and treatment.