By Sarah Stone

Victoria Hospital wraps up 3P design sessions

May 16, 2015 | 12:15 PM

After more than a year of planning, the Prince Albert Parkland Health (PAPHR) finished its final 3P session for the Victoria Hospital. 

The term “3P” stands for production preparation process.  It uses Lean principles to create a design for the hospital that considers the flow of patients, equipment, and processes.

Over the past week around 50 doctors, staff, and patient representatives developed designs for a new or redeveloped hospital.  The designs included table-top three-dimensional models of the space layout and large mock-ups.

On Friday in the old Brewery site in Prince Albert, the Report Out was delivered to the public on the final 3P session.

This session focused on the in-patients areas of the Victoria Hospital and the adult Mental Health In-patient Unit.  Rehabilitation Services, Nutrition Services, and other support areas took part.

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Representatives from the City, Prince Albert District and Chamber of Commerce and Prince Albert Grand Councils were amont those to tour the mock-ups.  One design feature that stood out was the use of outdoor space.

In all the patient units, large windows were a dominant theme—something vice-president of Primary Community Care Brett Enns said is important in patient care.

In the Mental Health In-patient Unit design, a large window is available in almost every room and a walking track around the unit has been created.

 “This was an opportunity to incorporate light [and] space.  One of the things that we know about mental illness is that folks who are just in that transitioning and trying to be supported through medication management and such, one of the things we know is there is a lot of energy built up,” Enns said.

“This design actually allows us to give them an opportunity to move around more … and an opportunity to see natural light.”

As opposed to pacing, he said this is a more therapeutic way for patients to exert their energy.

Every year the unit sees more clients coming through the door and they are more varied in their needs than ever before, according to Enns.  In the new design, staff can treat those challenges better with the additional space: including an outdoor courtyard and recreation room.

When the building was first erected in the 1960s and opened in 1969, the model for treating mental health was different, Enns said. 

“We have a mixture of clients … all brought together under one room and it becomes challenging; the noise levels become very challenging,” he explained.

“The new design allows us to manage those kinds of things.”

Until the new design is implemented into a tangible structure, Enns said the current client space requires creativity in how they deliver programs.

In the intensive care unit (ICU), large windows are also highlighted in the designs.  According to the group responsible for making the design, patients who are in ICU for long stretches of time can get delirious.  Having windows to ensure those patients can establish day and night is helpful.

The previous two 3P sessions reviewed redeveloping the ambulatory care areas of the hospital, which included chemotherapy hemodialysis, laboratory, pharmacy, and obstetrical units. Participants reviewed the emergency, operating and recovery rooms, as well as diagnostic imaging.

PAPHR CEO Cecile Hunt said she understands the design is grand, but adds that by building patient-focused care into the hospital they can do better.

“We feel as an organization that this is an ambitious project, but a necessary one,” she said.  “The Victoria Hospital is not able to meet the needs of the people we serve.”

According to Hunt, the building currently doesn’t have space to accommodate visiting family.

“We need to put a strong business case together with the facts about how many square feet, what will the cost be, and provide that to the Government of Saskatchewan.  I know that we are certainly on the radar,” she said.

The process continues with the firm RBM Architecture taking the information from the 3P sessions and creating a design based on that.This will help decide if the building should be redeveloped or start from scratch.

In 30 to 60 days the architects will come back to the PAPHR staff, show their plans and refine the design as they go.

“We will then need to come back one more time to put together the three 3Ps to look at what programs should be adjacent to what programs,” Hunt said.  “We want to make sure we’ve attempted to reduce walking, improve flow.”

Hunt hopes their “business cases” will be submitted to the ministry of health by August or September. She said this will give the government enough time to consider it for the next budget period.

The provincial government set aside $2 million to help fund with the 3P sessions.

sstone@panow.com

On Twitter: @sarahstone84