The Poole Hospital Trust urgently needed a linkway corridor between the main hospital building and the Philip Arnold Elderly Care Unit to improve patient dignity, comfort and safety. By creating a New Main Entrance facility, the 50m linkway could be incorporated into the design, thereby significantly improving the patient experience and operational efficiency.

The solution saw the creation of a 6300ft2 centralised canopy connecting the multi-storey car park walkway, the Philip Arnold Unit, the Dorset Cancer Centre and the main hospital building. The New Main Entrance foyer includes a reception lobby and desk, security office, CCTV monitoring station and outpatients self check-in monitors. The retail scheme (the rental income of which financed the project) includes an 80 seat Costa Coffee, WH Smith (incorporating an M&S chilled food counter) and a stand-alone Stock Shop (fashion & gifts). In addition, we also included a full suite of public washrooms and a ‘changing place’.