SALLY Brown's work over the past 18 months is proof positive that the new £20.5 million private Nuffield Hospital, arising on the site of the old Nestl Rowntree canteen in Haxby Road, is a patients-first operation to its foundations.

Sally is matron of the existing Purey Cust Hospital in York, which the new building - nearly twice the size - will replace when it opens in December with 46 beds, three operating theatres, 12 consulting rooms and a wide range of services. But she has also been appointed project director of the venture.

That has meant working closely with the hospital team and the architect to reflect the needs of the patients as well the 210 clinical and other staff who will work there. She has been helped by Tim Molden, of project/cost managers Davis Langdon, and advisers from Nuffield Hospitals.

Now, with only six months to go in commissioning and equipping the hospital, Sally, who joined Purey Cust as matron in 2000 after spending most of her nursing career in private health care, said: "It's been an exciting opportunity to allow clinical practitioners to influence the design of the new hospital.

"It has meant ensuring that facilities not only meet the needs of the users, but also be flexible for future changes."

To that end she has:

liaised with advisers for infection control, theatre design, sterilising standards, health and safety to ensure that the hospital is designed to best practice guidelines

held regular meetings with all staff including nurses, physiotherapists, receptionists, chefs and housekeepers to get their input into the design of their departments

sought information from the local disability and information advice centre for York so that patients and staff with disabilities will find the new hospital welcoming.

"It's been a real challenge to design for today and for the future," Sally says.

Updated: 10:58 Tuesday, July 06, 2004