Space modelling in healthcare properties

This paper brings together work that has been carried out as part of the Healthcare FM project (a collaboration between the University of the West of England and the United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust). Healthcare delivery is in a period of flux due to the changing demography and technologies. This results in a changing demand for space. In order that NHS Trusts are able to provide efficiently the type of space required to support this complex service, the spatial requirements need to be carefully examined. In this paper space is classified in a hierarchical manner, and the facilities associated with that space are also classified (facilities are defined as physical facilities such as services and structural features, and environmental facilities that influence user perceptions). These classifications are ananlyzed using a geographical information system to aid both data take on and the analysis itself. Further to this, the space demand side (i.e. what space is required) and the space supply side (i.e. what space needs to be delivered) are examined. The paper shows how these evaluations can be overlaid, and suggests how the figures for this evaluation can be retrieved from both the spatial and data sides of the GIS. This approach facilitates space management decisions to be undertaken in a transparent manner, thus enabling property users, such as a healthcare trust, to be more proactive in its approach to the provision of space, crucial in an environment where change is continuous and the pressure of finance is great. The paper concludes that space is an important consideration for effective delivery of core business, and that the methodology is not only relevant in an healthcare scenario but could easily be adapted to apply to other complex space users.