Waddesdon Wing wins 'Best Acute Care Design' award

The Waddesdon Wing building at Stoke Mandeville Hospital has won the award for Best Acute Care Design in this year’s Healthcare Design Awards.

Winners were announced at the Healthcare Design Awards 2025 final which took place on 13 February 2025 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. The awards recognise innovation and excellence in the design of care facilities and seek to highlight projects that don’t just demonstrate good design but have made a real impact on people’s lives.

The building, which houses the Trust Children's Emergency Department, Maternity outpatient services and Obstetrics and Gynaecology outpatient services, opened in April 2023 and was designed by Hunters Architects and Building Consultants.

The interior design of the Children’s Emergency Department, located on the ground floor of the Waddesdon Wing, designed by Art-in-Site, was shortlisted in the Best Interior Design category.

Craig McDonald, Paediatric Consultant at the Trust, said: "For many, especially children, coming to hospital can be a daunting and worrying experience, so it’s wonderful to be able to care for our patients in a state-of-the-art facility. Creating the best possible environment for both our patients and the staff who care for them was incredibly important to us. It has been a privilege for our team of doctors and nurses to contribute to the design of this new facility - a rare opportunity in our profession - and it is truly gratifying to see everyone’s hard work recognised."

Gillian Elwood, Clinical Programme Lead Estates Development at the Trust said: “Having worked with our clinical teams from the first initial ideas meeting through the design journey to delivery I feel especially proud of what we as a collaborative achieved. Being at the awards ceremony was the icing on the cake but being here on the ground and seeing the impact of a well-designed building makes me proud and will continue to be an example of what can be achieved with the right people working together toward a common goal.

Tim Ashton, Director of Hunters Architects and Building Consultants commented: “Stoke Mandeville is a great example of a collaborative approach through intensive consultation with patients, staff and visitors. The design of the new wing reflects those who use it, engaging and playful throughout the children’s ground floor and calm and sophisticated in the women’s clinics upstairs. We are absolutely delighted with this award.”