Premier Construction

West Suffolk Hospital

West Suffolk
Written by Roma Publications

West Suffolk Hospital

West Suffolk

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is undergoing a new development in order to improve its Sterile Services Department (SSD). The new structure will house the SSD and will be at the rear of the site’s main building.

The current SSD is housed at its Hospital Road site, which is 1.5 miles away from the main hospital. This department provides decontamination and sterilisation of clinical equipment and instrumentation to the Trust, West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group’s GPs as well as Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. It is an accredited unit to the quality management standards ISO 9001-2008 and 13485-2003.

“The new building will help increase the efficiency of the hospital’s theatres and contracted customers, and will have two additional floors to accommodate administrative functions which will free up space in the hospital’s main building,” commented Jacqui Grimwood, Estates and Facilities Development Manager.

“The current SSD building, facilities and environment are ageing and placing constraints on service provision and future growth potential. Moving the service to the main site will improve work flow as it will be in closer proximity to the main theatres at West Suffolk Hospital.”

Work on the new building began in December 2015 with the demolition of an existing building. During this stage of the construction programme, Delta Services dealt with the removal of all roof asbestos.

With more than two decades of experience, Delta Services is recognised as one of the leading asbestos removal contractors in the UK, serving NHS Trusts, universities and retail chains. Delta Services is part of a three-year contract with West Suffolk Hospital to handle all of the asbestos removal works and is very proud of its association with the hospital.

Lee Hitchen, Delta Services, said:

“Working on projects such as this, and to be a primary framework contractor is very important to us. These projects are the core of our business and not only do they provide us with the opportunity to maintain our staff, but they also allow us to reduce unemployment levels by taking on additional team members.”

With demolition work complete, construction began on the project in January 2016 with the main contractor Barnes Construction. Due for completion by Spring 2017, the three storey building will have a total floor space of 2,400m2, will house the SSD on the ground floor and will feature cabinet washers, one trolley wash, four autoclaves, one tunnel washer and two ultrasonic sinks.

The first and second floors of the building will be taken up by office space for 148 admin staff including the Trust management offices and a small meeting suite. Seating hubs will be used for informal meetings and sound-proofed pods will create a semi-confidential area for meetings and phone calls. “This area is an open plan, multifunctional space designed to encourage collaborative working,” added Jacqui.

The building itself is a steel framed structure with a building envelope of an interlocking insulated wall system and over cladding. Curtain wall glazing is used on the first and second floors with solar glazing as well as blockwork in the internal ground floor.

West Suffolk

Work so far has consisted of the demolition of an existing Portakabin building, along with ground works, drainage, infrastructure connection and the installation of power. The cladding of the building has been finished and is currently in the process of being fitted out.

To complete the project, internal fixtures and fittings need to be installed, along with mechanical and electrical services, external ground works and landscaping.

One of the most interesting design features of the building is the photovoltaic panels on the roof. “There will be one row of 44 panels which will provide a third of the new building’s energy,” commented Jacqui. The building will also make use of power from the existing CHP (combined heat and power), meaning that 70% of the overall energy used will be created on site. Other energy efficient features consist of LED lighting and secure cycle racks, showers, lockers and drying rooms for wet clothes to encourage environmentally-friendly travel to work.

“One of the biggest challenges we are facing is the timeframe, due to the continued deterioration of the existing facilities. There are also difficulties getting materials in and around the site, but our priority is always our patient safety and care so we are always sensitive to that,” Jacqui said.

“As the decontamination lead for the Trust, I’m very proud that we will have a new facility. It is imperative that we rebuild the services to maintain the high standards associated with West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. I’m very happy that the build is on track, and can’t wait to see it complete.”

About the author

Roma Publications