Collate and update operational briefing information

Information about each of the services to be delivered from the new building should be collected and processed by each of the service leads. This work is usually undertaken in a staff workshop. It should cover issues such as scope and scale of services, staffing numbers, key activities and patient pathways.

The information should be presented in a consistent format for each service, on operational briefing sheets. The information will be shared by all stakeholders and used to identify areas where services or space requirements overlap. It will also be used by the designers of the building later in the process.

Information about each of the services to be delivered from the new building should be collected and processed by the service lead nominated to the task.

This information will be used to communicate ideas about the services to be included in the building to:

• other stakeholders, to enable all participants to identify where there is scope for shared use of space
• designers, to enable them to understand the way in which the building will operate, and design it accordingly
• inform the funding options for the building, and assist with allocating space to different stakeholders

Information should be recorded and presented in a consistent pattern and should include comment on:

1. Philosophy of service
   The overall aim of the service (for example to promote good health, achieve government targets, and increase patient awareness).
2. Scope of service
   The scope of service to be delivered in terms of patient profile (older people, children etc), type of service (for example type of diagnostic procedure, treatment, therapy, administrative activity).
3. Scale of service
   Quantification of activity (list size, number of consultations/client episodes per year, number of tests etc).
4. Hours of operation
   How may hours per week; how many days per week.
5. Staffing requirements
   Number of whole time equivalent staff, actual staff numbers and their grades.
6. Activities undertaken
   Should include ‘generic’ activities such as consulting, examination, counselling, administrative work (using a computer and telephone), treatment etc as well as more specialist activities, such as specialist dental treatment, podiatry etc.
7. Patient/client pathway through the service
   A simple description of the way the user accesses the service and the ‘journey’ through the service. This will include activities that occur at home and in other settings as well as the patient’s experience within the building.
8. Generic facility requirements
   Identification of activities that can occur in generic spaces, such as consulting and examination spaces, counselling spaces etc.
9. Special facilities requirements
   Identification of activities that require specialist spaces, such as diagnostic rooms, minor procedure rooms, computer training rooms, kitchens etc.
10. Key adjacency requirements
    Are there any specific adjacency requirements? For example treatment spaces should be adjacent to utility spaces.

Information will usually be gathered through discussions with staff and should be recorded in a consistent format for all services. It is simplest to begin by discussing and recording information about the existing service delivery pattern. This information should then be used to consider how each service might change in the new building when it is alongside a different set of stakeholders. The formal operational briefing information should be shared with staff within the service before it is widely circulated. It is important that staff have a sense of ownership of this information. The project team should ensure that all services are covered. Separate (perhaps not so detailed) information should be collected for the less obvious service and activity components of the building including: Public space:

• entrance, waiting and the public side of reception
• WCs, baby changing and breast feeding areas for clients
• patient/client information

Staff services and activities:

• entrance, changing, rest areas, WCs
• training and education

External activities:

• car parking, cycle parking

Circulation:

• corridors, draught lobbies, security lobbies