Today I had a scan at the Nightingale hospital in Exeter (everything is fine, don’t worry!). And what a great experience!
The location: Sowton – the home of Exeter’s industrial estate – the name says it all really. And like nearly all hospital visits, this was not a trip I was particularly looking forward to…
The early spring sun was blinding as I drove past massive metal buildings and estate maps looking for the hospital where I had my 9am appointment. “This doesn’t fit the image of a hospital I had” (Cue: Old Victorian buildings overlooking rolling fields.)
Not quite.
I was actually headed to an old HomeBase store set amidst other metal behemoths that sustain the backbone of what keeps our modern and convenient life style ticking. A waste centre, a technology college, various hardware and buildings merchants – all sparkling in the sun.
Surrounded by bright yellow shipping containers and a tall fence lies a windowless building, the Nightingale Hospital, provides state of the art diagnostic care for Devon residents.
“What, no natural light!” was my first thought, “How can this be good for healing?”
Then followed a number of nice surprises:
- An ambulance bus re-purposed into a coffee/snack truck called the NHS TLC Express.
- Two smiling receptionists with no queues
- And then, instead of the blue or green scrubs I am used to, the medical staff here are wearing burgundy which provides a nice contrast to the grey/blue back drop.
Image: https://nightingale-exeter.nhs.uk/our-services/ophthalmology
I am now wondering if we are part of some sci-fi film? And as I pick up my smart phone to take some snaps and do some research on the site while sitting in the waiting room, I remember the future of my youth has already arrived…
Then the first nurse comes in and cheerfully calls the waiting patients by name. With a warm smile, and gentle joke, he glides around the corner guiding the first nervous punters. So perhaps endless strip lighting doesn’t completely kill the mood.
Then I realise, the whole centre is dedicated to scans and imaging. It’s not a place for people to rest and recover, it’s a diagnostic hub, where natural light may actually be less useful than in other environments.
My appointment was on time, brisk and friendly and I was back to my day after only 15 mins. Now that is a service I can be pleased about.
But I was still puzzled as to the location? Then a consultant informs me it used to be a home improvement store. Instead of selling low-grade home hardware and tat with as little customer service staff as possible (ever wondered why Homebase is no longer there?), the site now provides state of the art, high quality and essential services to the public – and does so with a smile.
Now that is a positive transformation worth looking in to.
Apparently it was re-purposed from an old warehouse building in the covid crisis to provide additional support for the needs of the time.
Built in just 57 days and equipped with 116 beds, it offers state of the art service in an efficient and effective manner. To facilitate this speed of build, the units were actually purpose built offsite and brought in. This strikes me as a logistical nightmare, and hats off to the people who worked together to achieve that. Well done!
In my work, creating teams that works well under pressure has more rewards than just financial – they are more fun, more empowering and in this case, do a world of good.
Its useful to remember that sometimes it’s good not to judge a book by its cover.
Thanks NHS, really good to have you around – keep up the good work, and thanks Denis and Rhian for welcoming me!
