Clinical reflections: a conversation with Chris Warren

Chris Warren, Clinical Chair of the Women and Children’s Division at RCHT, has been involved in the new Women and Children’s Hospital project for almost nine years. As a senior clinician overseeing neonatal, paediatric and obstetric services, he’s helping to make sure the new hospital works not just for one specialty, but for everyone. We caught up with Chris to find out what it’s like as a clinical lead to be involved in designing a new hospital. 

You’ve been involved in this project for a long time. What first got you interested?

I’ve been involved almost since the beginning, initially as the neonatal lead. At the time, we knew there were things our existing facilities couldn’t provide, such as space for parents and families. It was an opportunity to think about how we could create something better.

I’d also never been involved in designing a building before, so there was a real sense of curiosity. As a doctor, it’s not very often you get an opportunity to design a new hospital. It’s actually been fascinating learning how a hospital project like this comes together and the phases you go through before anything is actually built.

Nine years later, are you still enthusiastic?

Absolutely; it’s been fun – although my focus has changed now. When I started, I was mainly thinking about neonatal and paediatric services. Now I have a much broader role – overseeing the clinical designs and being responsible for making sure the whole hospital works effectively. That means looking beyond individual departments and making sure services connect properly and support each other.

What have you learned from previous designs?

One of the biggest lessons is that you can’t design services in isolation. In some of the earlier design iterations, teams naturally focused on what was best for their own area and sometimes it felt a bit splintered. What we’re trying to do now is look at the hospital as one integrated system. My goal is to make sure every service gets what it needs, while also making sure the whole building works together.

How has Hospital 2.0 changed things?

It’s definitely meant that we’ve had to think differently. Previously, you started with a blank sheet of paper and designed exactly what you wanted. With Hospital 2.0, you’re working with standardised design templates and adapting them to your needs. That was quite a shift at first but we soon got used to it.

What’s been really interesting is that many parts of the template are actually bigger and better than what some of our teams may have originally requested. The challenge is making sure they’re adapted in the right way for local services.

Has anything been particularly challenging?

The move to single patient rooms has generated a lot of discussion, particularly around staffing and how services will operate in the future. As a team, we were a bit resistant at first, but it’s important to remember that healthcare is always evolving. Some things that seem unfamiliar today will probably feel completely normal in 20 years’ time. I expect we will wonder why we ever thought 100% single rooms wasn’t a good idea! The challenge is thinking ahead and designing for the future, not just the present.

Administrative space is another area we’re still working through, but that’s exactly why we have these design reviews, so issues can be identified and addressed before the building is delivered.

What has impressed you most about the project so far?

The people. 

The current architects and design team have been excellent. They’re enthusiastic, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about what they’re doing. That gives you confidence that we’re going to end up with something really special.

I’ve also seen relationships develop with colleagues from the wider New Hospital Programme. There have been some tough conversations along the way, but we’ve built good working relationships and found the flexibility needed to meet Cornwall’s needs.

What role will technology play in the new hospital?

Digital infrastructure will be hugely important. Things like eCare, improved access to computers and reducing reliance on paper records should make a real difference to how staff work. Some future technologies are harder to predict, particularly in specialist areas like neonatal care, but it’s clear that digital systems will continue to become a bigger part of healthcare.

What are you most looking forward to next?

Working with clinical teams as we start refining the templates and shaping the details. That’s the exciting bit. We’ll be bringing together specialists from across paediatrics, neonatology and obstetrics to make sure the final designs work for patients, families and our colleagues. At the same time, we’ll be encouraging everyone to look beyond their own department and think about how the entire hospital functions together.

If we get that right, we’ll create something really special that will serve Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly for decades to come.