The colourful three-storey £4.7million centre was officially opened in March, although it started providing services in August last year. It’s home to three GP practices, a pharmacy, health clinics and specialist services. It is also the 'greenest' NHS building in Medway, scoring ‘excellent’ on all the environmental green standards. It was the fourth healthy living centre to open in Medway.
Now six months on, Balmoral Gardens has been shortlisted in the Award for Best Community Care Design in the Building Better Healthcare Awards 2011.
The shortlist has been announced and the awards ceremony will take place in London in November. Balmoral Gardens is up against four other shortlisted nominees in its category, including: Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan Local General Hospital, Wales; Beech Hall Wellbeing and Treatment Centre; Baldry Gardens and Reginald Joint Service Centre, Leeds.
If victorious this winter the team behind the Gillingham healthy living centre - Baily Garner/Medway Community Estates/Rydon Construction/Fife Belcher/MLM/AMP – will win a certificate and trophy for their work.
NHS Kent and Medway’s Assistant Director (Property) Jill Norton said: “We are absolutely delighted that Balmoral Gardens has been shortlisted for this award. We are very proud of the building, its design and the services it is home to.
"We believe it is providing 21st century healthcare in a 21st century building. It is a magnificent building’’
The first floor houses three GP practices. On the second floor clinics are run by health visitors, midwives, school nurses, the Child and Adolescent Support Team, contraceptive and sexual health services, community alcohol services, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, podiatrists (specialists in foot health) and more. And on the ground floor, along with waiting areas, meeting rooms and the community cafe, Paydens pharmacy is open seven days a week and late into the evenings from Monday to Saturday.
The Building Better Healthcare Awards are now in their 13th year. They aim to raise the bar in healthcare building design by recognising and celebrating all the best achievers from across the field. In total 56 out of 202 entries made it through to the final shortlist where there are five main categories, each with three different awards, plus two special awards announced this week: Clinician's Choice Award and the Patient's Choice Award.
The main categories and awards are:
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Building design category - best mental health design; best acute care design; best community care design.
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Estates and facilities management - best response to DH policy; best use of innovative funding; best efficiency savings.
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Patient environment category - best interior design; best landscape or external space; best use of visual art in healthcare.
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People category – best project team; design champion of the year; outstanding achievement.
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Product category – best interior product; best building product in healthcare; best product to improve the patient pathway.
