West Herts Redevelopment, Watford Hospital

West Hertfordshire Hospital Trust developed a Strategic Outline Case (SOC) in 2016-17 for redevelopment of the existing site at Watford, to provide a new acute hospital.  Regulators acknowledged the case for change, but advised the capital investment was too much.

In early 2019 Murphy Philipps were approached by the Trust to carry out a refresh of that SOC with a view to securing approximately £350m investment funding. Much of the estate is in a poor or worse condition, with 40% of the buildings over 40 years old. An estimated £189m is required for backlog maintenance.

Clinical adjacencies are poor across the site, impacting significantly on efficiency & patient experience. Theatres are non-compliant for size, there is no adult/child segregation and there is a less than 10% single room provision.

The primary aims of the SOC refresh were to:

• Provide fit for purpose buildings from which modern healthcare can be provided
• Improve clinical sustainability
• Achieve long term financial stability

Murphy Philipps faced a number of challenges throughout the project.  Key areas of development focused on functional content, and a phased delivery to ensure services could continue to be delivered from the site.  Net Carbon Zero and Digital transformation in line with the NHS Long Term plan were also key areas of focus.

Four options were prepared by Murphy Philipps for consultation, with a comparison ‘do nothing’ option.  

Stakeholder engagement was held over a 3-month period in spring 2019, with the panel being asked to score the options on a series of non-financial benefits.

The Stakeholder panel comprised of:

• Public
• Partner Organisations
• Clinicians
• Other Trust members
• Other Clinical Commissioning Group members

The preferred option 01 offers advantages over the others in that it can be carried out in the quickest timescale, whilst maximising the investment opportunity on the site.  The key benefits are that it:

• Maximises revenues via the sale of surplus land
• Optimises adjacencies to improve patient experience and clinical efficiency
• Provides a scheme that can be delivered through a phased development, enabling services to be maintained with minimal disruption

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