Enquiry by Design for Health, design briefing for hospitals (2008)

The first healthcare-focused Enquiry by Design (EbD) was held at Cherry Knowle in Sunderland at the end of 2003, for one of the five original participating Trusts (South of Tyne and Wearside). After the successful conclusion of the Cherry Knowle EbD, the Secretary of State for Health called for two further health EbDs to further test the viability and applicability of EbD in the NHS. In 2005-2006 EbDs were carried out at Sutton for the Merton, Sutton and Mid-Surrey NHS Better Healthcare Closer to Home programme, and at Alder Hey for the Royal Liverpool Children’s NHS Trust. This report summarises the lessons learnt from the three pilot EbDs, and puts forward guidance aimed at increasing public engagement, raising design aspirations, and informing Design Frameworks for healthcare projects.

The purpose of this document is to make available the learning from three pilot Enquiry by Design projects in order to inform and raise the quality of the Design Briefing Process for healthcare buildings in the future.