Developing interior design briefs for healthcare and wellbeing centres through public participation

Public participation is an increasingly important part of the design process for healthcare environments and services. Public participation often occurs towards the end of the design process, rather than at the start where the biggest influence is possible. This research used a variety of methods to enable public participation from the start of the design process. Its aim was to examine potential end users’ expectations and needs for the physical environment, to develop interior design briefs for a wellbeing centre. Fifty-three Trust members at a London NHS Hospital, UK, were involved in structured group workshops. These consisted of surveys and open discussions, table discussions, and 2D and 3D designing. Analysis identified four over-arching themes; Atmosphere, Initial Points of Contact, Waiting Experience, and Health Assessments. The results, in combination with existing evidence-based research, led to the development of an interior design brief consisting of 26 design recommendations for a wellbeing centre. These may form the basis for any healthcare and wellbeing centre, thereby adding to the growing body of evidence informing the design of future healthcare physical environments.