Acute Hospital at Overdale

​The new Acute Hospital at Overdale

Overdale is the preferred location for an Acute Hospital under the New Healthcare Facilities Programme.

The main building will be delivered in a single-phase build although there will be a number of associated projects. Construction is planned to start in 2025 with the completion due in 2028. Earlier works will prepare the site for development.

The dilapidated and unused healthcare buildings towards the back of the Overdale site have now been cleared and the next phase has commenced (all remaining buildings except the Westmount Centre). The demolition is being managed in phases and is due to be completed summer 2024. This will create a clear site for the construction of the Acute Hospital in 2025.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)​ divides building projects into 8 work stages. The current concept design for the Acute Hospital at Overdale represents a specific moment in an ongoing design and delivery process. 

For the Acute Hospital at Overdale RIBA Stage 2 looks at the:

• size and shape of the Acute Hospital
• departmental relationships
• clinical adjacencies (where services are located)
• Strategies for many different elements of the building and associated infrastructure, including access and landscaping

The early design is subject to further feedback and refinement with key stakeholders. A public consultation will be held in Spring 2024 during RIBA Stage 3, Developed Design, when more detailed information on the designs of the Acute Hospital will be available for Islanders. The process will conclude with the submission of a planning application later in 2024.

Project timeline 

Find below the timeline for the delivery of an Acute Hospital at Overdale.

What is an Acute Hospital

An Acute Hospital is designed to deliver:

• immediate and intensive medical services
• planned medical interventions to patients who need critical care, surgery, or other specialised treatments

These hospitals tend to be more complex in their infrastructure, staffing, and medical services compared to other types of healthcare facilities. This is to make sure:

• the facilities can provide high-quality, safe and efficient healthcare services
• a wide range of medical needs can be met in a single facility
• the hospital can periodically adapt to changing healthcare practices and technological advancements
• patients wellbeing and safety throughout their stay is maintained

Acute hospitals are often designed with multiple wings or units to accommodate various medical specialties such as:

• medical and surgical units
• intensive care units
• operating rooms
• emergency departments
• radiology
• imaging suites

The layout must be carefully planned to optimise patient flow and staff efficiency.

​Early designs of the Acute Hospital at Overdale

Artist’s impression of the entrance to the Acute Hos​pital on Westmount Road

​​The Acute Hospital at Overdale will provide for the Island’s sickest patients, for those who require an overnight hospital stay.

The facility will provide a range of emergency and elective care services for Islanders including:

• an emergency department
• Critical Care
• a women’s and children’s centre
• Elective and Emergency operating theatres
• inpatient wards

Owing to the difference in the nature of the hospital and with outpatients planned to remain at Kensington Place and JGH site, the team has been looking again at proposals for access, including:

• retain the three houses on the private estate to the east of Westmount Road 
• maintain the existing alignment of Westmount Road 
• retain the Jersey Bowling Club

The building concept

The proposed design of the Acute Hospital is around 47,000 square metres. The shape of the building has been designed to respond to its surroundings. 

The larger mass of the upper floors is away from residential areas and the upper floors are pushed towards the western valley to provide beneficial views to help patients’ recovery.

Building height 

The building will be 6 floors which includes a floor for the hospital’s plant.

The architectural look and feel of the building and the design of the interior spaces comes during RIBA Stage 3 Spatial Coordination. These will be presented in the coming months.

Parking

As part of the scheme, landscaped street-level parking spaces for visitors, patients and staff will be available in the areas next to the hospital and east of Westmount Road. 

Accessible parking and drop off close to entrances will be provided to make sure users can easily access the building. 

Parking will be connected to Westmount Road.

Work is ongoing to refine parking provision which will be informed by:

• trip numbers
• shift patterns of staff
• green travel projections

Active travel routes will be developed from existing networks or paths and link to:

• St John’s Road
• West Park
• Westmount Gardens

Flexibility, adaptability and expandability

The design of the acute facility opens access to the hospital from all sides.

The building is not locked down by pre-determined access points and will be able to respond to any future clinical requirements.

Accessibility

Movement around the facility will be accessible with ramps and clear signage to direct visitors and help with smooth transitions.

As the project moves forward, we’ll develop a detailed accessibility strategy in consultation with stakeholders. The accessibility standards will meet or exceed the statutory standards for a healthcare facility. 

Westmount Road, houses and Bowling Club

Most trips by the public are to the outpatient parts of a hospital rather than the Acute. The Ambulatory (Outpatients, day case and urgent treatment walk in) facility will be located at the current General Hospital site, not at Overdale. This means that there is more opportunity to minimise works to Westmount Road, and options to maintain the existing alignments of the road are being explored.

The properties acquired by the public on Westmount Road including Hillcrest, Castle View and Westmount Terrace will remain as housing units and retained  under the proposals for the Acute Hospital. 

Opportunities are being explored to maximise accessibility between the Acute Hospital and Kensington Place.

The main priority is to ensure that the road is safe for all road users, including blue light and patient transport and bus services. The programme team are in communication with key stakeholders to inform the road developments.

Access and active travel route

The hospital will be accessible to all members of the community with different levels of mobility and needs. Islanders will be able to use different methods of transport and active travel options.

Pedestrian routes are planned to provide safe, direct and convenient routes to, from and through the site.

The boundary for the site development includes Westmount Gardens where an active travel route would be incorporated through Val Andre and West Park. The route will look to:

• adapt existing footpaths
• expand the connectivity network
• provide an alternative access route

Connections to the wider cycle and pedestrian network are also being explored as part of the scheme.

Landscaping 

Landscape has the power to make people feel physically and mentally better and enhance the healing process. The design of the hospital is clinically led but also draws on all areas of the landscape.

This includes understanding:

• the best places for healthcare staff to take a break
• where patients might be able to comfortably take their first steps outdoors towards recovery
• where supportive families and friends can take a moment

In addition to protecting the natural assets surrounding Overdale we also want to create relationships between the hospital and the natural environment.

We’re undertaking environmental assessments to inform the landscaping approach. The iconic oak tree located on the southwest of the healthcare site will be preserved. We’re committed to make sure ecological values are protected across all areas and part of the planning application will be demonstrating improvements to biodiversity and greening of the landscape. 

Sustainability standards

We’ve set sustainability targets for the Acute Hospital to align with international best practice. The project looks to exceed the planning requirements and has set a target BREEAM sustainability rating for the project of ‘Excellent’. Where additional value can be added, our team will look to stretch this target without adding significant cost to the project.

The relationship between landscape, biodiversity and healthcare is important and the project will be measuring both the biodiversity gain and urban greening factor.

The project team will continue to prioritising sustainability and reviewing improvements that add value and improve the environment for hospital users.

Next steps

We’ll hold a 4-week public consultation in Spring 2024. More details and information on the designs will be shared with Islanders during the consultation.