Willmott Dixon Interiors has delivered the refurbishment of a former maternity ward at Eastbourne General District Hospital in East Sussex that will provide improved facilities and more bed space for patients.

The fit-out and refurbishment specialist contractor has undertaken the full refurbishment of almost 7,000 sq ft on the first floor of the hospital on behalf of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.

The £2 million project included the re-modelling and internal refurbishment of a former maternity ward, creating new shower rooms, toilets and 26 new beds for patients. Medical gasses have been installed, as well as new nurse stations and sluice and drug store rooms.  

The 18-week project has delivered a decant ward to facilitate other hospital works, including an upgrade of existing fire stopping provisions. It also involved installation of new window fenestrations and cladding to the exterior building and courtyards.

The project was completed in a live hospital environment with existing services unaffected and the hospital blue light route in operation at all times. Works were carried out to government Covid-19 safety guidelines and were accelerated to provide additional bedspace during the height of the pandemic. The remaining bedspace was handed over ahead of schedule to ease pressure on NHS staff.

Graham Shaw, managing director at Willmott Dixon Interiors, said: “We are very proud to have delivered such an important project on behalf of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust. This project was undertaken in extremely challenging circumstances during the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw a large increase in hospital admissions. Its successful delivery owes much to daily collaboration between our team and staff at the hospital’s Pathology Lab to minimise disruption during construction and ensure that works were completed as quickly and safely as possible.”

Willmott Dixon Interiors was awarded the contract through the Scape Major Works framework. As part of its delivery, the contractor met a series of key performance indicators for local spend and employment, including 78% of project spend within 40 miles of the site, 99% of project spend with SMEs and 99.9% of waste diverted from landfill. The company also recruited a local student to work on the project through a two-month paid internship in partnership with Falcon Green.

Willmott Dixon has an impressive track record of working in live healthcare environments and enabling NHS Trusts and private healthcare providers to get better use of their facilities. The contractor has delivered a £10.2 million fit out and construction of a CCU at Harley Street Clinic, the full strip out and refurbishment of an emergency department at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and delivery of a new Bariatric ward and 39 bed out-patient ward on behalf of Pembury Hospital NHS Trust.

For more information, visit: www.willmottdixoninteriors.co.uk