The Cancer Centre as the Caregiver

Design has a powerful role to play when it comes to influencing the quality of life for those living with a serious illness.

As cancer incidence rises, patients are living longer with more complex conditions which are constantly evolving in ways that defy a predictable path. Treatment is longer, the scale of health is more volatile, and the boundary between hospital and home is dissolving as virtual and digital care takes hold.

In partnership with VA Sciences, we’re exploring how design can respond to this shift through the release of our latest Design Horizons foresight report, The Cancer Centre as the Caregiver. It examines the role that architecture and engineering can play in shaping how well a patient is cared for during their treatment and what must change to keep pace with the developing nature of cancer care. We set out the forces reshaping cancer care environments and how design can be an active agent in clinical outcomes, environmental performance and long-term adaptability.

We’ve identified five design shifts cancer centres should undertake to stay ahead of change:

• Design for longer stays: Inpatient spaces must operate as therapeutic, low-stimulus environments for those who truly need to be there.
• Support digital health: A reconfiguration of space, systems and experience, where digital infrastructure is treated as fundamental, so the hospital operates as both a place of care and a platform for distributed care.
• Design for higher acuity: Adaptable rooms with spare capacity that can quickly change when needed without major disruption to the patient.
• Non-siloed care models: Environments must operate as integrated care ecosystems capable of accommodating a broader spectrum of clinical conditions, functional abilities and care durations.
• Climate-responsible infrastructure: High performance adaptable spaces that can maintain operation in critical events like blackouts or a drop in air quality due to bushfires.

Hassell Sustainable Design Leader Sian Willmott, says if care is becoming more distributed, hybrid and prolonged, then the centre itself must become more responsive. 

“Cancer care asks a lot of people — physically, emotionally and clinically. The next generation of cancer centres needs to give comfort, resilience and holistic support no matter the level of acuity.”

• Sian Willmott, Sustainable Design Leader, Hassell

“The collaboration between architects and engineers is paramount, so facilities can flex across different scenarios without compromising patient care,” says Sian.

The future cancer centre is not just a place people go to receive care. Designed well, it becomes a caregiver in its own right.

Download the foresight report below