DQI for Health - www.dqi.org.uk

The CIC is pleased to announce the launch of the Design Quality Indicator (DQI) for Health.

DQI for Health is a process for evaluating and improving the design and construction of new buildings and the refurbishment of existing facilities in any type of healthcare setting.

The DQI for Health update was commissioned by the Department of Health and took 18 months to develop and was piloted by NHS London and NHS England. This update builds on the well-established frameworks of the Design Quality Indicator and DQI for Schools, which has been used on over 1,400 projects in the past 10 years. This new addition also incorporates the healthcare-specific focus of AEDET (Achieving Excellence Design Evaluation Tool)which originated from DQI many years earlier but which is unsupported.

DQI focuses on actively involving a wider group of stakeholders in the design of buildings. It involves not only the design and construction teams but all those who will use, finance and be affected by the building including patients.

DQI is designed to set and track design quality at all key stages of a building’s development and incorporates post-occupancy feedback. It plays a fundamental role in contributing to the improved design, long term functionality and sustainability of building projects. More information can be found at the DQI website http://www.dqi.org.uk/case-studies/healthcare/

At the launch Andrew Link , COO of CIC said: ‘DQI for Health will play an important role in supporting the NHS and other healthcare projects going forward. Not only does it help project teams deliver a better quality project it creates greater value and ensures that the services are focused on the needs of those requiring care.’