Midlands & East Anglia

Kettering General Hospital is transformed

An exciting £30 million project has seen the creation of a new three-storey development at Kettering General Hospital in Northamptonshire.

The Foundation Wing includes a new paediatric outpatient department with six consulting exam rooms and an acute 28-bed medical ward on the ground floor; a 16-bed intensive care unit on the first floor and an integrated 32-bed paediatric unit on the second floor.

The acute care ward features a central nurse base, which is essentially the ‘hub’ of the unit. All of the spaces between the beds are designed to facilitate extra beds in the case of an emergency, whilst the beds can also be separated in their individual cubicles if required.

Two isolation rooms are available to aid infection control, whilst important facilities such as overnight stay areas and waiting rooms are also available. Further facilities include ward administration offices and staff rooms.

Designed with flexibility in mind, the centre also takes into account the patients’ need for privacy and dignity. Most of the rooms in the paediatric unit are single rooms, with overnight facilities for parents available in either the room itself or adjacent to the ward.

The Foundation Wing is set to achieve BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ due to the significant emphasis on sustainable construction and the innovative use of the building.

The project has been delivered through the ProCure 21+ framework with main contractor Interserve. Architects for the project are Devereux Architects Ltd.

Action Demolition Ltd was responsible for the demolition and soft strip works. As work took place next to live wards, Action Demolition Ltd worked sensitively to minimise dust and disruption at all times.

Action Demolition Ltd Contracts Manager, Paul Richardson, said:

“It was great to be involved with this project as it offered us a new challenge and allowed us the ability to adapt our skills.”

KGH Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Mike Smeeton, said:

“The new development is really moving ahead quickly now and we have seen a lot of progress. The facilities it will provide will be a superb and enable us to really modernise the way we provide care – particularly intensive care and care for children.

“For example, the new intensive care unit will have 16 beds when fully open – twice what we have the moment – and each bed area has been designed with 360 degree access so that in an emergency there is plenty of space for teams to work in.

“The paediatric unit will also have flip-down beds at the side of each child’s bedside to make overnight stays more comfortable for parents.

“Overall, this will be a major improvement to the facilities at KGH and it will also help us to free up space in the main hospital for future developments.”

Action Demolition Ltd 

Action Demolition Ltd was responsible for the demolition and soft strip work on the new link building which connects the old hospital with the new hospital. As work took place next to live wards, Action Demolition Ltd worked sensitively to minimise dust and disruption at all times.

Action Demolition Ltd Contracts Manager, Paul Richardson, said:

“It was great to be involved with this project as it offered us a new challenge and allowed us the ability to adapt our skills.”

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