Charity-funded scheme to create space for patients and families to support each other
Corstorphine & Wright has submitted plans for the Rob Burrow Centre for motor neurone disease (MND) at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds.
The centre will be an innovation and education for the treatment of MND in the region, bringing together holistic patient centred care in a purpose built environment.
Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with MND in 2019, is one of the most successful rugby players in the history of the Super League.
Burrow made more than 400 appearances during his 16-year career at the Leeds Rhinos, winning the Super League Championships eight times before retiring in 2017.
He was made an MBE in 2021 for services to rugby and to MND awareness during Covid-19, and a CBE this year for services to MND awareness.
The planning application for the centre follows extensive consultation sessions with clinical staff, patients, and the wider MND community, as well as the Burrow family.
It aims to create a comfortable and peaceful place for patients and their families, including spaces to reflect after sensitive conversations as well as places to engage and create positive moments.
The proposals consist of two wings housing clinical spaces, linked by a central atrium space which would have a community focus.
The atrium will contain quiet spaces for reading and reflection, along with activity and dining areas, allowing staff to observe patients in a more informal setting.
The first floor is designated as a staff area with a dedicated wellbeing space to provide staff working in the building with space away from the clinical areas, an important consideration when providing care to patients with such a challenging condition.
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Externally, the building references the local vernacular in the form of red brick tiles and gabled roofs, aiming to provide texture to clean architectural forms.
Corstorphine & Wright associate director Toby Ingle said one of the main visions for the centre was to create a space for the MND community to come together and support one another.
“Engaging with what the community wants the new centre to be has fundamentally informed how we have designed the new building, from its location on the site and the materials we will build it from, to the furniture that we will specify and the colours and textures we will weave throughout the building and landscape,” he said.
The scheme is being funded by Leeds Hospitals Charity, through its Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease appeal which has now raised over £5.3 million of its £6.8 million target.
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