London Private Hospital, Brentford

The brief:

After reviewing its completed projects in the healthcare sector, Manchester Private Hospital approached MPL to carry out an ambitious, two-phase full Cat A/Cat B fit-out to facilitate its expansion into the London market. The brief was to take a shell and core premises in Brentford and turn it into a plush private hospital, with two operating theatres, consultation rooms, wards, storage and a stunning reception.

The aesthetic brief was to create a sense of luxury that would draw patients away from central London, especially the Harley Street district, to the suburbs – all delivered within the strict guidelines and regulations imposed on the private healthcare sector.

Our approach:

Our work was divided into two halves, with a large team working across the technical, design and compliance aspects. Phase I concentrated on getting the London Private Hospital open so it could perform non-surgical procedures and consultations.

Detailed plans and new partitioning allowed us to create a working clinic to the right hand side of the ground floor, with a statement reception and waiting area, four consultation rooms, an accessible cloakroom and a store room. The lower ground floor was fit-out in tandem to yield staff facilities, including changing rooms, a sluice room, showers, lockers, a kitchenette and an office.

Instant impact for patients

The competitive private healthcare sector trades on its looks, especially when many of the procedures offered centre on aesthetics. As such, the reception and waiting area at the London Private Hospital needed to resonate with the intended clientele.

A colour palette of black, white and gold creates an opulent front-of-house, with a bespoke reception desk, Armourcoat polished plaster wall finishes, decorative wall panelling and an internally illuminated brushed brass wall logo. Patients are immediately put at ease by relaxing in a soft seating area, with side tables, rugs, gilded finishes and marble-effect surfaces. Bespoke storage comes in the form of internally-illuminated, recessed shelves and low-level cupboards.

A sense of calm has also been created in the consultation rooms, with a pale terrazzo-style vinyl flooring and wipeable paint in a muted blue-grey colour palette.

Highly-specialised hospital phase

Phase II saw the surgical part of the private hospital take shape. Of critical importance were the space plans and light/power/data technical drawings, which took into account the movement of medical staff, the positioning of equipment and beds, theatre lighting, specialist supplies and evacuation plans in the event of an emergency, which were very specific to a healthcare setting.

MPL’s designers worked with the irregularly-shaped footprint on the left hand side of the premises, ensuring every inch of space was maximised. Two operating theatres with associated preparation rooms are the main focus, with a recovery area, an open-plan ward, four en-suite rooms, a patient cloak room, dirty linen stores and a nurses’ station completing phase II.

Complying with exacting medical standards

Our team constantly complied with regulations attached to creating hospitals, taking into account the requirements stipulated by, but not limited to:

• The Building Safety Act 2022 

• The Health Technical Memoranda 

• The Health Building Notes  

• Building Control Approvals 

• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

Our remit included:

• Full technical prep work for a medical gas pipeline system in the operating theatres and other clinical areas  

• Installing a medical-grade HVAC system that resulted in filtered, purified air and improve infection control 

• Ensuring doors, doorframes, windows and floors all provided compliant means of escape and access 

• Constructing a ‘60 min’ fire rated room in the basement for the storage of medical bottles 

• Supplying and installing new raised access floor to kerb level with new gas storage room 

• Lead lining doors and walls to theatres and preparation rooms, as per radiation specification, with x-ray resistant Knauf safeboard and lead-lined filler  

• Supply and install of welded hygienic cladding  

• Supply and install of Hygidoor fire-rated hygienic PVC wrapped doors 

• Supply and install of new contract grade, anti-slip cap and cove flooring

Additional elements

MPL supplied and installed a Grade 3 intruder alarm and CCTV, supplied and fitted a kitchenette with appliances, plumbed in all sinks, basins, WCs and showers, connected the water supply and installed all associated pipework, supplied and installed new ceilings and new raised access floors, supplied and set up all new consultation furniture, and conducted a full redecoration throughout.Full technical prep work for a medical gas pipeline system in the operating theatres and other clinical areas