Healthcare
"NHS trusts have been tasked by the Government to upgrade their facilities to meet new service expectations, but must deliver within tight financial constraints" Colin Gush, Director, Construction Division
Our approach to working with NHS trusts is to understand the client’s objectives for each project and to work with them to deliver a solution that best meets their needs. We recognise that a trust’s primary responsibility is to provide healthcare services, and we work with them to identify the best way to do this, either by reconfiguring their existing buildings or constructing new facilities.
This approach is illustrated by our long term relationship with West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, for whom we have undertaken five ProCure21 projects since being involved in a strategic review for its site at Watford. We have helped the Trust to rationalise its services across sites in St Albans, Watford and Hemel Hempstead, ahead of a planned £500 million PFI programme.
Osborne has worked closely with the Trust, developing solutions to make this rationalisation process work. We have recently completed the construction of a £25 million Acute Admissions Unit on the Watford General Hospital site. The AAU will include a 120-bed facility built with a modular construction method. This helped to minimise disruption for hospital users, staff and local residents, and was erected in just three weeks.
Our ProCure21 activities are carried out through our role as a founding shareholder in Medicinq – one of only eight supply chain partners in England to have been awarded contracts under ProCure21. Medicinq’s expertise incorporates specialist knowledge and skills in healthcare provision, as well as in pre-planning, design and construction.
In April 2008 we achieved financial close on a PPP to deliver new healthcare facilities in Hampshire. The South West Hampshire LIFT consists of two projects which are already on site; a £10 million Primary Care Delivery Centre and a £20 million Adult Mental Health Unit.
Our expertise in car park construction led to the appointment as main contractor for the development of an £8 million 1,600-space car park at Basildon University Hospital in Essex, completed in March 2008.
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust is delighted to be working in partnership with Medicinq Osborne on its £25m ProCure21 programme. We are particularly pleased that we chose the off –site modular construction approach for providing the new Acute Admissions Unit at Watford General as it has significantly reduced disruption to our patients, staff and the local community. It has also reduced the programme time, allowing the hospital site to remain in use for longer and the new building to be open and treating patients much earlier than if we had opted for a more traditional method of construction. Patients in West Hertfordshire will see a major improvement in emergency care and the development of the Acute Admissions Unit at Watford will play a crucial part in securing the very best hospital services for the 21st century. Lindsay MacIntyre, Director of Implementation, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust
For more information contact construction@osborne.co.uk