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What does the

future look like?

Excellence in future healthcare The new breed of smart and connected hospitals will Core clinical services that are likely to remain, such as
delivery will be enabled by flexible, have super-fast communications technology embedded, surgical suites, will be centralised, with others located
adaptable buildings that are future- with thousands of sensors monitoring their rooms, peripherally. New ‘hybrid operating theatres’, where
both surgery and diagnostics can be carried out, can be
the building systems, and the patients themselves.
proofed by design. The sensors will feed patient data into systems with constructed from the outset of a hospital’s development,
sensitive algorithms and artificial intelligence that instead of later in the process, with the space to
A hospital commonly takes 10 years from inception will sift them for irregularities and alert doctors when accommodate robotic assistants, augmented reality
to delivery, and has a 60-year life span. So, in order to attention is needed. Powerful computer systems will be devices and radiology equipment that monitors the
remain effective through as many as three generations of at the heart of providing the analysis necessary to make patient during procedures.
change, it will have to be technologically smart, resilient much more tailored interventions based on an individual “As hospitals evolve to
and - above all - flexible and adaptable to changing patient’s genetic make-up. include technological hubs, The flexibility to adapt to become a community resource,
healthcare needs. A new hospital will need to respond focused on promoting healthy lifestyles, prevention and
to the important trend towards prevention and wellness, As hospitals evolve to include technological hubs, they they will require the capacity wellbeing, is one aspect of the resilience which will be
and we are likely to see more of the ‘healthcare campus’ will require the capacity to deal with huge amounts essential in new hospitals. But resilience will also relate
approach aimed at keeping people well in the first place. of data supporting diagnostic feedback from a range to deal with huge amounts of to the capability of hospitals to provide their own heat
of real-time sources including wearable or digestible and power efficiently, be self-sufficient in the event of
With a greatly reduced need to house outpatient sensors. Leveraging this data, along with using delivery data supporting diagnostic outages and, at the same time, counter the effects of
provision, and in-patients spending less time in hospitals, mechanisms such as telecare and video conferencing, will feedback from a range of climate change and rising energy costs. Resilience aimed
it is easy to see how future hospitals may become provide one stop diagnosis directly to the patient at home. at remaining operational during natural disasters such
smaller and more resource efficient all round, as the real-time sources including as an earthquake or a flood will also be important in
focus of services shifts from reactively curing illness New hospitals will also need to be environmentally some parts of the world, particularly where there is an
and disease, to proactively promoting health and fitness. efficient, with highly-effective intelligent buildings wearable or digestible sensors.” indication that such events could be more prevalent in
systems that link with room booking systems to turn
Hospitals will continue to treat the most complex off heating, air conditioning and lighting when it is not the future.
cases, and provide for the most vulnerable patients, needed, and provide patients with control over their room Resilience to disease and infection are another key
so facilities need to be based on a robust, reliable, environments via mobile devices and touch screens. consideration, particularly given the trend towards
and resilient infrastructure that can accommodate the These systems will reduce running costs and carbon antibiotic resistance. Interiors fitted out with bacteria-
most technologically-advanced procedures. But at the emissions while offering a better patient experience. resistant materials and ‘self-healing’ surfaces will help
same time, hospitals will also evolve into technological infection control, as will rooms designed for cleaning
hubs, with outpatient services delivered straight to the There are ways to build in the flexibility and adaptability by robots. A resilient hospital will increasingly enhance
patient’s home, while a network of community facilities, required to deal with changing healthcare needs. the working environment, improving staff retention
perhaps built close to shops and other services, Modular construction systems can allow walls to be and engagement rates making the facility extremely
provides the hands on nursing care and social taken out and spaces repurposed at very low cost. competitive in attracting the very best clinicians.
support required by an ageing population. This approach means that when the requirement for
large outpatient treatment areas declines, rooms can be
converted or replaced quickly with other facilities, such
as extra care housing for people who may benefit from
being close to healthcare services. Other rooms can be
converted into technological hubs for telemedicine as
technology develops.

05 Future Ready Healthcare What if we can?