From Concept to Completion, Milford Community Diagnostics Centre

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From Concept to Completion, Milford Community Diagnostics Centre

28 July 2025

In January 2023, P+HS Architects were invited to develop proposals for a Community Diagnostics Centre at Milford Hospital. Partnering with MTX and the Royal Surrey Hospitals Foundation Trust, the project aimed to respond to growing demand for diagnostic imaging outside of acute hospital settings.

The importance of community diagnostic hubs was highlighted in the 2020 national review led by Sir Mike Richards, which advocated for improved patient outcomes through more accessible imaging services such as MRI, CT, ultrasound, and X-ray. The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated the need for additional capacity across Royal Surrey Hospital’s catchment area.

Located within the Metropolitan Green Belt, the Milford Hospital site was a strategic choice. Already home to X-ray and ultrasound services, the addition of MRI and CT suites broadens the diagnostic capability and supports the Trust’s ambition to become a leading cancer hub in the South-East. This location also helps alleviate parking and congestion pressures at the Guildford hospital site.

The building is zoned into three key areas: a welcoming main entrance, staff and support facilities, and clinical MRI and CT suites. Patients benefit from natural light and views of the landscaped setting, while staff enjoy dedicated changing areas and breakout spaces. The internal layout was designed to provide clear and dignified flows, enhancing wayfinding and operational efficiency.

Externally, the design uses durable, low-maintenance materials such as facing brickwork and metallic aluminium cladding to create a contemporary yet sensitive appearance that blends into the surrounding residential context. The building’s massing and placement were carefully considered to sit comfortably within the landscape while providing a clear identity.

From the outset, the design process was underpinned by collaborative stakeholder engagement. Weekly consultation sessions brought together clinicians, Trust leads, the modular contractor, and planning representatives to shape the layout and positioning of the building, drawing on the lived experience of those delivering and using the service.

“We brought stakeholders on the design journey from day one, illustrating the thought process through sketches, visual concepts, and layout iterations to help them visualise how the building would come together. Their feedback directly shaped both the form and function of the centre. It was close collaboration with the entire clinical team, the Trust, and our partners that made the facility what it is today, one that supports both patients and staff, now and into the future as the NHS estate continues to evolve.”

Patrick Kelly, Associate and Design Lead.

A key innovation in the project was the adoption of modular construction. This approach enabled faster delivery, improved cost efficiency, and strengthened quality control, challenging outdated perceptions of modular buildings in healthcare. Early collaboration with the modular contractor ensured that design decisions supported buildability, sequencing, and programme certainty. Consultation also extended to local residents and the planning authority to ensure an inclusive and transparent approach. Drone footage provided by DSSR and images courtesy of MXT Contracts, James Leask Frazer Photography.

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"This scheme’s success relied on a good working relationship with MTX Contracts, their supply chain and the wider Design Team to deliver a compliant, robust and aesthetically pleasing building to complement the attractive site context of Milford Hospital, that Royal Surrey Trust could be proud of. We worked hard with MTX to understand their modular system quickly and work within the limitations and opportunities it provided. A thorough understanding of these constraints early in the design was critical to the success of the scheme, and we are very pleased with the finished building and the relationships formed throughout the process."

Associate and Technical Lead, Joe Davenport.

We’re proud to have contributed to this vital facility, which will provide thousands of additional diagnostic scans annually, including an estimated 11,000 MRI scans and 9,500 CT scans each year, easing pressure on acute hospitals and improving patient access to timely, high-quality imaging across West Surrey.