Caroline Mulholland on good design in Healthcare

Caroline Mulholland reflects on good design in healthcare

Integrated Health Projects (IHP) has been a successful joint venture between VINCI Building and Sir Robert McAlpine for the past 20 years, based on shared commitments to innovation, quality and excellence in healthcare design and construction. IHP has been the proud sponsor of European Healthcare Design (EHD) Awards for the past 10 years, and, on 12th February 2025, is the Lead Partner of the EHD Champions Awards (2015-2024) to celebrate the ten years of the EHD Congress. 

On this occasion, Caroline Mulholland, Client Engagement Lead, Health Sector, for IHP, reflects on the significance of good design in healthcare, international best practice and the importance of the EHD Champions Awards. 

Why good design in healthcare matters 

With the New Hospital Programme recently announced, there is a clear pipeline of work for at least the next five years, so now is a good time to take a step back and focus on the broader question of design: “Good design matters because it is proven to improve patient experience and patient recovery,” says Caroline. “It also plays a critical role in enhancing staff health and well-being, which has become increasingly important in the post-Covid era.” 

Moreover, given that the NHS is publicly funded, good design helps demonstrate value for money. It ensures flexibility and adaptability, which are essential in a healthcare system where a significant portion of the estate predates the NHS. 

Interest in international best practice 

Interest in international best practice stems from the recognition that healthcare challenges are not unique to any one country. Caroline notes that healthcare systems face similar challenges worldwide: “It is exciting to see how hospitals built for different demographics, different countries, different shapes and sizes, have evolved and the lessons that they've learned with an increasingly ageing population. The EHD Champions Awards feature examples from North America, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Brazil, Spain, Uganda, Australia, New Zealand and the UK, so they showcase a really broad scope of projects for us to look at.”

One of the categories in the EHD Awards is Design for Adaptation and Transformation, which ties into sustainability efforts. The NHS was the first health service in the world to commit to reaching net-zero carbon, Caroline recalls, and “it is interesting to see how other nations are following suit. This international perspective allows for a comprehensive understanding of how different countries are addressing similar challenges and what can be learned from their approaches.” 

Sponsoring the EHD Awards 

Sponsoring the European Healthcare Design Awards provides a unique opportunity to review performance in use. Caroline highlights that the values of the European Health Design Congress, which include sharing best practices, lessons learned, and thinking outside the box, align with the values of IHP: “This sponsorship allows for a reflection on projects that have won awards over the past ten years, providing insights into the return on investment and how flexibility in building design has been demonstrated.” 

Caroline looks forward to seeing how these projects have evolved, particularly in light of the New Hospital Programme: “with the New Hospital Programme coming, the guaranteed funding for the next five years is an exciting place for us to be in, and just being able to see and learn the lessons to inform the designs going forward”. For Caroline, it is clear that reflection and learning from past projects can inform future designs, ensuring that they are adaptable, sustainable, and capable of meeting the evolving needs of healthcare. 

In conclusion, good design in healthcare is essential for improving patient outcomes, enhancing staff well-being, and demonstrating value for money. By looking at international best practices, valuable lessons can be learned that can inform future designs. Sponsorship opportunities, such as the European Healthcare Design Awards, provide a platform to review past performance, raise design standards, promote innovation and ensure that future projects are designed to meet the challenges of an ever-changing healthcare landscape.