Royal Hospital for Sick Children

The Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RHSC) in Edinburgh has recently celebrated 150 years of caring for children in the Lothians area. Often fondly referred to as ‘the sick kids’ the RHSC care for more than 34,000 patients a year providing a comprehensive range of dedicated children’s services including its own Accident and Emergency Department. The existing building near Edinburgh city centre was built in 1895 and was no longer deemed fit for purpose by NHS Lothian in 2005. It was decided that a new ‘gold standard’ children’s hospital would be built at Little France, Edinburgh, to provide the best possible care and working environment for patients and staff alike. We were commissioned to work in collaboration with Nightingales to develop the design of the new hospital at Little France. The vision of RHSC is to create a hospital that has a strong and unique presence; be valued by patients, staff, visitors and the local community and remain a landmark building for future generations. Our research is planned around the hospital’s main stakeholders - children and their families - and our aim is to create a building that is playful, fun and welcoming. A central ‘ozone’ has been designed as the heart of the building and this space will help to communicate the spirit of RHSC by incorporating dens, play space, artwork and colourful graphics. The new building layout will facilitate better working practices and allow staff to focus on care, recovery and the well-being of patients.