The Stokes Centre for Urology at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust has won the Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Social Impact award in Healthcare 2020, thanks to a design aimed at improving the dignity and wellbeing of the many hundreds of prostate and bladder cancer patients who are treated there each year.
The RICS award celebrates buildings that have a positive human and social impact and the Stokes Centre does this, offering world-class treatment in attractive surroundings that make patients feel reassured at a difficult time in their lives. As well as offering specialist services for diagnosis, treatment and recovery all under one roof, the Stokes Centre incorporates a calm, relaxed environment, colour schemes inspired by nature, comfort lighting and a welcoming reception area.
The Centre was built and opened in 2019 following 10 years of tireless fundraising by local cancer charity, the Prostate Project. The charity raised £3million through over 9,000 individual donations, which was matched by a £3million investment from Royal Surrey.
The Stokes Centre, named after Colin Stokes who recently retired as Chair of the Prostate Project, also houses a research laboratory and features a state-of-the-art operating theatre for brachytherapy, which uses tiny radioactive seeds to treat prostate cancer. The unit is the largest in Europe, having treated over 5,000
patients. Prostate cancer is the UK’s biggest cancer killer of men and is diagnosed in more than 47,000 men every year.
Professor Langley, Professor of Urology at Royal Surrey and Trustee of the Prostate Project, who conceived the project, said: “We were conscious when planning the centre that we wanted to create a place where patients at a very anxious time in their lives, facing a potential cancer diagnosis, could feel inspired and
reassured that when they entered the building they were in a Centre of Excellence.”
He added, “We are absolutely delighted to receive the RICS award celebrating our achievement. The successful teamwork between the Prostate Project and the NHS has set a precedent that is sure to inspire other projects.”
Alf Turner, Chair of the Prostate Project said: “I want to thank the thousands of generous supporters who have helped make this happen, ensuring that Royal Surrey remains a world leader in the care and treatment of prostate cancer.”
Notes for editors:
Surveyor: K2 Consultancy
Architect: ADP
Developer/contractor: Logan Construction
Owner/Client: Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and The Prostate Project
Nominated by: K2 Consultancy
RICS Awards: https://www.rics.org/uk/training-events/rics-awards/rics-awards-southeast/
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust is a multi-site acute and community Trust, based in Guildford, which serves a population of more than 336,000
across south west Surrey; and a tertiary cancer centre, offering state of the art diagnostic and treatment services to a population of two million.
Each year approximately 90,000 patients are admitted for treatment, around 81,000 attended our Emergency Department and we deliver 3,000 babies.
The Trust has been rated as ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for being caring, effective and safe, and well led, and ‘Outstanding’ for
being responsive to people’s needs, our maternity services, use of resources, medical care (including older people’s care) and end of life care.
For further information, please contact the Press Office.
