An independent construction firm has completed its largest care home development to date, including a cinema, bar and accommodation for up to 75 residents. Brymor Construction Ltd designed and built Care UK’s new Ancasta Grove home in Sarisbury Green, near Fareham, after demolishing the former dentists’ surgery on the site.
Work has commenced on a new £9.5million health centre to help support the delivery of locally integrated healthcare services. Hadrian Health Centre is another step toward improving health and community services for those that live in the Wallsend and surrounding areas. The new centre, which will become the new home
Works are moving along well at the new Greenwood House Medical Centre on Lichfield Road in Burntwood, Staffordshire, and an event was held on 22nd June to mark the progress of the project. The £3.4 million medical facility, which is being constructed by Midlands contractor G F Tomlinson, is due
Construction works to build a new Urgent Treatment Centre at a Lincolnshire hospital – an emergency-funded project which was fast-tracked to help ease COVID-19 pressure – has now been completed by Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson. The £2.4m project involved the construction of a single storey extension at Lincoln County
Offsite construction specialist, Premier Modular, has delivered a new £2m special educational needs facility at Nethergate Academy in Nottingham – an Ofsted Outstanding special school for children with autism, learning difficulties and disabilities. The school is sponsored by Greenwood Academies Trust. The main driver for Nottingham City Council’s decision to
North Bristol NHS Foundation Trust partners with healthcare construction specialist ModuleCo for the construction of a new state-of-the-art, Gynaecological Twin Operating Theatre Suite ModuleCo have installed a state-of-the-art Gynaecological Operating Theatre Suite for the North Bristol NHS Trust providing expanded maternity services at Southmead Hospital. The new modular facility will become part of the
Work has begun on a multi-million pound ambulance service hub for West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) in Sandwell. Leading property developer Stoford is delivering the 76,000 sq ft purpose-built hub, the largest hub of its kind in the country, which will eventually house about 350 operational ambulance staff. Contractor McLaren
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust is working on an exciting project to create a new healthcare campus as part of the government’s Health Infrastructure Plan. When opened, the campus will transform how care is delivered across the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System; to enable this transformation the
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust has today unveiled plans to build an iconic new Eye Hospital in the centre of Sunderland as part of the City’s ambitious Riverside Sunderland masterplan. Sunderland Eye Infirmary is one of very few specialist standalone eye hospitals in the whole country and the
CONSTRUCTION firm Stepnell has delivered a new exclusive £12 million care facility in the West Midlands. The state-of-the-art scheme – located in Eastcote, Solihull – was completed in just over 18-months on behalf of luxury care home provider Cinnamon Care Collection, which has been recognised as a top 20 recommended care home
An independent construction firm has completed its largest care home development to date, including a cinema, bar and accommodation for up to 75 residents. Brymor Construction Ltd designed and built Care UK’s new Ancasta Grove home in Sarisbury Green, near Fareham, after demolishing the former dentists’ surgery on the site. The £8.5m purpose-built development in Barnes Lane provides residential, nursing, respite and dementia care, with more than 80 new jobs created locally.As well as a cinema and bar, Ancasta Grove includes a hair and beauty salon, lounges, dining areas and landscaped grounds with a sensory garden and water feature. The development is the largest care home project in Hampshire-based Brymor Construction’s 34-year history and Care UK’s 125th home. Stephen Morton, chairman of 150-strong Brymor, said: “With an ageing population in the UK, the care sector is assuming an increasingly important role in our communities. “The high quality of facilities at Ancasta Grove, including a cinema and hair and beauty salon, show just how dramatically residential and nursing homes have evolved over recent years.” Brymor, which is headquartered at Denmead, near Portsmouth, with an office in Dorset, works in a wide range of sectors. The £85m turnover company is a collaborative and flexible business with a seamless approach from conception to completion, with the focus on innovative solutions, quality, safety and transparency. Ancasta Grove is Care UK’s 125th home. Since 2013, it has opened more than 50 new homes. There are about 17,600 care homes in the UK with 490,326 residents, according to industry source CareHome.co.uk. In 2018, 18 per cent of the total UK population was aged 65 years and over, compared with 10.8 per cent in 1950, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is expected to rise to 24.8 per cent in 2050. Visit https://www.brymor.co.uk/ for more details.
Work has commenced on a new £9.5million health centre to help support the delivery of locally integrated healthcare services. Hadrian Health Centre is another step toward improving health and community services for those that live in the Wallsend and surrounding areas. The new centre, which will become the new home for Park Road Medical Practice and Portugal Place Health Centre as well as a range of community health services for more than 20,000 patients, is set to transform healthcare services in the area when in opens in Summer 2022. Located next to the Forum Shopping Centre, the new building is being built to modern, environmentally friendly, state-of-the-art specifications. It will include both consulting and treatment rooms, light and airy spaces for patients and dedicated training areas as well as offering convenient links to public transport. The two practices will be able to share resources and work more flexibly, offering extended opening times to patients, whilst more doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals will be able to receive training within the building. Dr Kerry Burnett, GP from Park Road Medical Practice, said: “We’re all so excited to see that work on our new health centre is getting underway. “Not only will it make it easier for patients to access a range of services all in the same building but the new centre is also located just a few hundred metres from the old surgeries.” Dr Nathalie Ellis, GP from Portugal Place Health Centre, said: “The practice is really looking forward to moving into the new building. “Providing the best possible service to those in our communities has always been our top priority and having this new health centre will certainly help us continue to do this well into the future.” North Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group, clinical chair, Richard Scott said: “As North Tyneside’s population continues to grow, this new health centre will mean the practices can continue to meet the ever-increasing health and care needs of patients in what is going to be a fantastic new building for local people.” Community services operated by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust which currently operate from within Wallsend Health Centre, will also move into the new health centre. These include: district nursing, mental health concern, talking therapies, neuro rehabilitation/physio, podiatry, speech and language therapy and office administration. Teresa Creighton, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s deputy director of community services, said: “This new health centre, right in the heart of Wallsend, will ensure patients will be able to access a range of primary care and community healthcare services all under one roof and it will be easy for them to get there with nearby transport links. “This is an excellent example of how we can integrate healthcare services and ensure that patients are at the centre of delivering this care.” It is anticipated the new building will take 15 months to complete and is being funded by Assura, the national primary care premises specialist who will also work as the practices’ long-term premises partner. Andrew Cooper, Assura, Senior Development Manager, said: “As ever, this is a real team effort and the whole project team including the practices, CCG and Trust are excited to finally bring forward this transformational development that will benefit the whole community in Wallsend.”
Works are moving along well at the new Greenwood House Medical Centre on Lichfield Road in Burntwood, Staffordshire, and an event was held on 22nd June to mark the progress of the project. The £3.4 million medical facility, which is being constructed by Midlands contractor G F Tomlinson, is due for completion in September 2021 and will bring a first class healthcare facility to the community to relieve the pressure on local hospitals. The new single storey centre is being constructed on a site previously occupied by a residential care home, which has been vacant since 2008. The centre will replace the current provision on Hudson Drive, approximately 300 metres away from Greenwood House, with medical services still being provided by the Darwin Medical Practice from within the new facility. “This important project is progressing as planned and will see a new, modern and spacious healthcare facility delivered to the local community. Recent months have highlighted how vital accessible healthcare services are for communities, and with an ageing population, Burntwood’s current facilities were inadequate and unable to meet public demand,” said Chris Flint, director of G F Tomlinson. “We are pleased to be working alongside Staffordshire County Council once again to deliver another crucial public service building to the area, providing local residents with access to excellent healthcare. We look forward to seeing the project reach completion later this year.” Consisting of 12 consulting rooms, five treatment rooms, a healthcare and phlebotomy room, and a health education space with an adjoining pharmacy unit, the Greenwood House Medical Centre will provide much-needed upgraded and accessible healthcare facilities for the area. There will also be 61 onsite parking spaces created and surroundings will be landscaped, with the centre using the existing road entrance for the former care home. The site progress event for the Greenwood Medical Centre was held onsite on 22nd June and delegates from partners involved in the project attended, including Staffordshire County Council, Entrust, The Darwin Practice, CCG and G F Tomlinson the main contractors. G F Tomlinson was selected from the Staffordshire County Council Framework to provide the construction works for the site which began in November last year, this being their fifth project secured on the framework. The scheme has been funded by NHS England’s Estates and Technology Transformation Fund, which aims to improve healthcare services for patients across the country with modernised facilities and technology. Works onsite are taking shape, with the centre’s steel frame and new car park constructed first to enable staff parking and material storage, minimising disruption to local residents. Works to the drainage, render, masonry and curtain walling are all complete, with work underway on decoration and ceiling and floor finishes which will allow for the installation of radiant panels and lighting to commence. The electrical and mechanical installation is also nearing completion. “Part of the strategy for reducing demand on our hospitals from ageing communities is to provide more facilities and services in the community and we have always earmarked this council-owned site for use to benefit the people of Burntwood. This will be a first-class healthcare facility centre on the community’s doorstep and it will make a huge contribution to residents’ health and wellbeing, as well as supporting older people’s independence,” added Alan White, Leader of Staffordshire County Council. Staffordshire County Council is leading this project, with project management from ENTRUST, G F Tomlinson acting as main contractor, CPMG as architect and Jackson Purdue as structural engineer.
Construction works to build a new Urgent Treatment Centre at a Lincolnshire hospital – an emergency-funded project which was fast-tracked to help ease COVID-19 pressure – has now been completed by Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson. The £2.4m project involved the construction of a single storey extension at Lincoln County Hospital, expanding the facility’s existing accident and emergency department, to create an urgent treatment centre, which also includes a new entrance into the accident and emergency department. Secured through Pagabo’s National Framework for Medium Works, which covers schemes between the value of £1m-£5m in the Midlands – the project was completed over a period of 24 weeks following planning approval, with the official handover taking place at the end of April. United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust submitted plans to City of Lincoln Council last year, after receiving a £7million national funding boost from the Department of Health and Social Care, which is part of a £150million capital funding programme to expand and upgrade 25 A&Es across the UK, to reduce overcrowding and improve infection prevention control in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospital remained operational while the Urgent Treatment Centre was being built and through further phased construction work which includes additional spaces and facilities, it is now able to increase its capacity and services. Further phased works across the department include; a bigger resus area with twice as many bays for the emergency patients, a new paediatrics area with its own dedicated waiting room, and treatment cubicles and a sensory area for the youngest patients and their families. Additional treatment rooms for mental health patients, and an ambulance drop-off point and new bays were also created outside the front of the department with entrances directly into the resus and major areas. The extra clinical space will ensure that the emergency department will be able to accept patients from ambulance crews with improved speed and safety. Given the urgent need for such a scheme, G F Tomlinson fast-tracked the project, carrying out the works seven days a week with extended hours to ensure completion was delivered on time. Under a variation of the contract, G F Tomlinson also undertook £1m infrastructure works at the hospital, for a new Specialist Respiratory Unit. The Derby-headquartered contractor provided value engineering and design services, which were also fast-tracked to assist with minimising timings and costs. Chris Flint, director at G F Tomlinson, said: “This was a vital project completed under Pagabo’s National Framework for Medium Works, to provide much-needed additional space at Lincoln County Hospital, in order to cope with the influx of patients requiring treatment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Ensuring that we worked as quickly, efficiently and safely as possible on site was our number one priority, given the challenges of working at an extremely busy hospital that remained fully operational whilst building works took place. We are delighted to have delivered this project within a very short space of time, to improve the services and capacity the hospital can offer patients.” Emma Hesbrook, regional relationship manager for the Midlands at Pagabo, said:“Due to the importance of the scheme, the Trust required a quick procurement route that also offered them full compliance. By procuring through our Medium Works Framework, they were able to appoint G F Tomlinson within days of making initial contact with Pagabo, which was hugely beneficial for them. “I’d like to say a massive well done to the whole delivery team involved who have gone above and beyond to ensure that the project was delivered on time.” United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust’s director of finance and digital, Paul Matthew, said: “These developments will help us to see and treat our patients more quickly and ensure that everyone is getting the level of care that they require. A massive thank you to G F Tomlinson who have completed this first phase on schedule, despite all of the challenges of a global pandemic. “Work will now begin on the next phases to make sure the department is not only fit for today, but also for the future.”
Offsite construction specialist, Premier Modular, has delivered a new £2m special educational needs facility at Nethergate Academy in Nottingham – an Ofsted Outstanding special school for children with autism, learning difficulties and disabilities. The school is sponsored by Greenwood Academies Trust. The main driver for Nottingham City Council’s decision to use offsite was the essential need to reduce noise and disruption to the children by moving construction work into a factory. The building also had to be delivered to a short programme ready for occupation for the start of the new academic year. To achieve this, Premier continued work on the project through the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. The new purpose-designed facilities have expanded the teaching spaces for autistic children and provide 48 new places. Designed and built by Premier with delivery architects Lungfish, the scheme had to be installed on a constrained site within the fully operational school. Careful logistics planning and traffic management ensured access to the school was maintained throughout the construction programme. Cranage of the modules was also timed for the school holidays to further minimise disruption. Commenting on the project, Sam Simons, Team Leader at Nottingham City Council said, “Premier demonstrated an understanding of the issues of constructing a new building in a live SEN environment and performed well. The build quality is good and the new facilities have been well received by the school and everyone involved. We needed a fast-track solution to help meet the rising demand for SEND places.” “The children at the school have complex needs and site-based construction was not the best way to proceed because of the noise and vibration levels that would then be generated. Moving work offsite and into a factory was therefore a huge advantage. The manufacturing processes of modular construction also allowed the building work to continue safely during the Covid-19 lockdown. It is definitely easier to manage and maintain social distancing requirements in a factory environment than on site.” Tracey Ydlibi, Executive Principal at Nethergate Academy said, “Premier Modular was sensitive to the need for us to continue the day-to-day operation of the Academy and was able to complete the build with minimum disruption. Their team has produced a wonderful, purpose-built facility which will enable us to continue to provide the best possible educational experience and further meet the needs of autistic children with complex needs.” Craig Taylor, Associate Director at Lungfish Architects, said, “The demand for offsite construction continues to grow and this project proves why. The Premier building system gives us a high level of design flexibility which ultimately improves the finished building in both aesthetics and functionality, and particularly when creating a learning environment to support SEN. We collaborated on the design with Premier to help deliver a new facility that will undoubtedly prove to be an invaluable addition to the academy and the community.” “We have been impressed with Premier and in particular how their concrete floor system is ideally suited to education buildings.” The 710m2 building was fitted out offsite and has high quality pre-installed concrete floors for a robust finish. Facilities include classrooms for key stages 1 to 4, group therapy rooms with specialist multi-coloured lighting, food technology room, occupational therapy, staff room, and a double-height multi-purpose hall for dining, assemblies and indoor sports – all built using offsite construction. The design of the facility was developed to meet SEND principles. Walls are constructed for impact resistance; sinks and worktops in the food technology room are height adjustable; daylight can be blacked out for light sensitive therapies and activities, and wider corridors ensure wheelchair access. Premier Modular is one of the leading and longest-established offsite specialists in the UK and has an impressive track record in the education sector, including special educational needs. Premier provides bespoke offsite solutions to fulfil almost any application, site and design for schools, academies and sixth form colleges. It also supplies temporary modular buildings for decant and bulge classrooms.
North Bristol NHS Foundation Trust partners with healthcare construction specialist ModuleCo for the construction of a new state-of-the-art, Gynaecological Twin Operating Theatre Suite ModuleCo have installed a state-of-the-art Gynaecological Operating Theatre Suite for the North Bristol NHS Trust providing expanded maternity services at Southmead Hospital. The new modular facility will become part of the Southmead Maternity Services Department as dedicated gynaecological operating theatres. Southmead Hospital’s Maternity Services Department provides a full range of maternity care and more than 6,000 babies are born at the Hospital every year. Juliette Hughes, Divisional Director of Nursing for Women and Children’s Health at North Bristol NHS Trust, said: “We are incredibly pleased with how closely we have been able to work with ModuleCo on this project, allowing us to design the facilities exactly as we need them. This lets us provide the best possible care to women needing routine or emergency gynaecology treatment at Southmead Hospital. “These state-of-the-art new facilities have also allowed us to upgrade all of our theatres across Women and Children’s Health in line with other theatres in the hospital.” A detailed design was developed by ModuleCo’s experienced in-house design team, consisting of thirteen modules which make up a 2,470ft2 total footprint. The facility consists of two Operating Theatres with specialist equipment for gynaecological poceedures, supported by integral scrubs, lay-up preparation rooms, anaesthetic rooms, dirty utility rooms, a 5-bed first stage recovery, offices, and various supporting and staff rest areas. Twenty-percent of the building’s power will be generated by solar panels, demonstrating the Trust’s commitment to sustainability, an agenda set forth by NHS England mandating Trusts to work towards delivering a ‘Net-Zero National Health Service’. ModuleCo’s team completed the factory assembly phase and all modules have now been installed on site. Completing 90% of the construction and fit out in the factory provides a more sustainable approach to construction and has also been vital in helping the Trust minimise disruption to their active hospital estate. Headquartered in Cheltenham, ModuleCo is part of the BladeRoom Group of companies which have delivered more than £500 million worth of mission-critical modular facilities to the UK and overseas markets, including data centres, healthcare and pharmaceutical facilities. These Operating Theatres were manufactured at their 110,000ft2 factory in Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire. Jonathan Brindley, Sales and Marketing Director for ModuleCo, and project sponsor said: “We are delighted to be building a partnership with North Bristol NHS Trust and supporting them to deliver the highest standards of care to the women in their communities. This facility represents a significant step in the Trust’s long-term strategy to upgrade their gynaecological theatre facilities, expanding their services and secure additional critical care capacity. “Sustainability was an important factor for the Trust team, the facility is provided with rooftop solar panels and increased efficiency heat recovery with the AHUs as well as being future proofed for changes in the Trust heating infrastructure.” Live project updates from the scheme, and others critical schemes being delivered, can be found on ModuleCo’s website, Twitter and LinkedIn pages.
Work has begun on a multi-million pound ambulance service hub for West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) in Sandwell. Leading property developer Stoford is delivering the 76,000 sq ft purpose-built hub, the largest hub of its kind in the country, which will eventually house about 350 operational ambulance staff. Contractor McLaren Construction is now on the seven-acre site in Shidas Lane, Oldbury, and aims to complete the hub, which will also include a facility for the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), fleet maintenance and vehicle preparation areas, the Trust’s Education and Training Academy and central stores, next spring. It will be open in time for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, which kicks off in July 2022, and will be used as a staging point for the Trust’s preparations for one of the world’s biggest sporting events. Tony Nash, Director at Stoford, said: “This is a significant development for West Midlands Ambulance Service and an important national infrastructure project, so we’re pleased to have made a start on delivering the scheme, just a short time after we received planning approval. “As a former quarry site that was undeveloped for 15 years, it is a technically challenging building project, so receiving financial support from the West Midlands Combined Authority to make it viable has been crucial in getting it ready for development.” Craig Cooke, WMAS Director of Strategic Operations, added: “This is an important hub for the Service not just for the Commonwealth Games but for our ongoing ability to deliver high quality care to the people of Birmingham and the Black Country. “It will also see a major upgrade in our central stores facility, which has played such a vital role during the pandemic, but also a big step forward in facilities for our Education & Training team and the Hazardous Area Response Team. “Talking to staff, they are excited to see the new building developed and we will be working with them to ensure it fully meets their needs.” The development is the first of its kind for funding partner Assura, as it continues to expand the range of local healthcare infrastructure it supports for primary care networks and NHS Trusts. Jonathan Murphy, Assura CEO, said: “This hub will provide a much-needed new base for emergency health services in the West Midlands. We are particularly proud to be playing our part in such an important piece of the health infrastructure that will sit around the Commonwealth Games, at a time when the eyes of the world will be on the region.” WMAS serves a population of 5.6 million people and covers an area of more than 5,000 square miles, comprising Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and the West Midlands. The hub will achieve the BREEAM Excellence rating and will accommodate 365 parking spaces, including ten disabled spaces and 70 ambulance spaces.
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust is working on an exciting project to create a new healthcare campus as part of the government’s Health Infrastructure Plan. When opened, the campus will transform how care is delivered across the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System; to enable this transformation the trust’s board has stated that ‘it wants to be the most digitally advanced hospital in the UK’. To help form a business case to achieve its ambitions, the trust has been working with Gemserv Health. The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust serves a population of 350,000 people living around the M11 corridor just north of London. It provides general acute, outpatient and diagnostic services from three sites, including its main hospital in Harlow. Princess Alexandra Hospital is a classic ‘hospital building programme’ facility opened in phases from 1958 to 1966. In August last year, the trust confirmed exciting plans to create a new healthcare campus, supported by the government’s Health Infrastructure Plan (HIP) to build or refurbish 40 hospitals. The Department of Health and Social Care’s outline for the HIP makes it clear that “it is not just about bricks and mortar” but about making sure that the “digital technologies and data sharing capabilities” are in place to provide better care to the public. Digital agency NHSX has developed a blueprint for what these might mean; and it is very ambitious. So, as Helen Davis, the deputy programme director for the new Princess Alexandra Hospital explains, it will use elements of the blueprint to make sure it is one of the most digitally enabled in the country. “We have the advantage of being one of the few hospitals in the programme to be working on a complete new build,” she says. “So, we are able to plan to transform all elements of the patient journey using digital. “That means everything from the moment people arrive at the hospital to the way they move through the building, to how their treatment is provided, to the way in which the building itself is managed. All of this will be supported by new technology and digital solutions.” Significant work has been undertaken by the trust in developing its business case and roadmap for achieving its ambitious goal, and this has been shared with the HIP’s New Hospital Programme executives, NHSE/I and NHSX, with positive feedback. As such a project is vast and complex, the trust has engaged specialist expertise from Gemserv Health to create a commercial case for the digital elements. The Gemserv team helped the trust to think through how it wanted to deliver the technology, taking account of the resources available to support different delivery options. Then, it helped the trust to work out how best to procure the preferred delivery options. One of a number of ideas that was explored in some detail was whether the trust could collaborate with national digital and procurement bodies and other HIP hospital trusts to create a specific set of framework arrangements for any of the 40 organisations in the HIP to use. Although carefully considered, the timing and a limited capacity within the organisations to bring this all together meant it was not viable for the trust to pursue this option. In the end the key issue became whether the trust should look to work with many suppliers on the different elements of the blueprint, or whether it should look to work with one or two lead contractors to secure them. “A lot of what is in the blueprint is very new technology,” Entwistle says. “Most of it is in use somewhere in the world, but no organisation is using all of it anywhere. That means the trusts in the HIP are going to need to find the right suppliers; the people who don’t just deliver the component parts but make it all work together in an integrated way. “In the end, we produced a commercial case that took account of the trust’s capacity to manage its suppliers and its appetite for risk.”
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust has today unveiled plans to build an iconic new Eye Hospital in the centre of Sunderland as part of the City’s ambitious Riverside Sunderland masterplan. Sunderland Eye Infirmary is one of very few specialist standalone eye hospitals in the whole country and the region’s only dedicated centre for ophthalmology care. It is home to the Regional Cataract Treatment Centre and widely regarded across the NHS, both regionally and nationally, as a centre of excellence for eye services, caring for patients from across the North East, Cumbria and beyond. The current facilities on Queen Alexandra Road in the South East of the City are now over 75 years old with a costly and aging infrastructure that does not reflect the world class treatment and outstanding NHS care taking place inside. Building a brand new, fit-for-purpose Eye Hospital has long been part of the Trust’s strategic ambitions and has now been made possible thanks to partnership working with Sunderland City Council. All clinical services currently provided from Sunderland Eye Infirmary will transfer to the new state-of-the-art facility to be delivered from a new modern, purpose-built environment in a much more accessible City centre location. As part of its plans, the Trust is also keen to continue expanding its specialist ophthalmology services in the community through its satellite hubs across South Tyneside, Sunderland and Durham, including the introduction of a new clinic at Cleadon Park Primary Care Centre in South Shields. Staff at Sunderland Eye Infirmary have welcomed plans for a new hospital. Clinical Director for Ophthalmology services and Consultant Ophthalmologist Mr Jean-Pierre Danjoux said: “Staff at the Eye Infirmary are absolutely thrilled at the prospect of a brand new hospital as there is no doubt that our current building is dated and no longer fit for purpose. The services we offer are nothing short of world class with outstanding patient feedback and they deserve an environment to match. Today’s news is testament to the perseverance and ingenuity of our leadership team, who, by working in partnership with the Council, are now turning our dream of a new facility into reality for patients.” Plans to build a new Eye Hospital in Sunderland have only been made possible thanks to strong collaboration between the NHS and the local authority. Funding for the development has been provided by the local authority and will be repaid by the Trust to allow the relocation of the hospital to a much improved City centre location on the former Vaux site. Mr Ken Bremner MBE, Chief Executive of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust said: “Our ambitions for a new Eye Hospital in Sunderland have been a long time in the making. Announcing our development plans is a historic moment for the Trust and represents a major investment into the local NHS thanks to our collaboration with Sunderland City Council. “In these uncertain times and especially as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, this is an extremely positive and welcome development and demonstrates our commitment to working with local partners to deliver the very best healthcare for the people we serve. We now look forward to involving patients, staff and the wider public in the design process ahead and as we work together to progress plans to the next stage.” Over the coming weeks a series of virtual engagement sessions will take place as follows and people can book onto the sessions via www.stsft.nhs.uk/neweyehospital: Friday 19 March 2pm – 3pm Saturday 27 March 11am – 12 noon Tuesday 30 March 1pm – 2pm Thursday 15 April 2pm – 3pm Tuesday 20 April 6pm – 7pm Tuesday 27 April 10am – 11am Thursday 29 April 2pm – 3pm Tuesday 4 May 1pm – 2pm The Trust is keen to hear from as many people as possible to ensure the design of the new Eye Hospital provides the optimal experience for patients, staff and visitors. Work is also taking place with The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to ensure the new hospital design is built around the needs of those with sight impairments. Plans for a new Eye Hospital in Sunderland have been fully supported by the region’s NHS. Sir Liam Donaldson, Chairman of the Integrated Care System across the North East and North Cumbria said: “This exciting development builds on Sunderland’s great tradition in eye surgery. It also shows how, in the midst of the extraordinary pressures of the pandemic, the NHS is still innovating and looking to the future needs of patients. The new Sunderland Eye Infirmary will shine as a beacon of excellence in the North East’s NHS for years to come.” The announcement represents the latest boost for Riverside Sunderland, which is undergoing rapid regeneration in line with the Council’s delivery plan to transform the area into a dynamic urban quarter, where up to 2,500 people will live, 10,000 will work and thousands will visit. The new Eye Hospital will stand alongside The Beam; City Hall, which is nearing completion, and two further commercial properties that are being developed as part of Legal & General’s £100m commitment to the site. Councillor Graeme Miller, Leader of Sunderland City Council said: “We are delighted to work with the Trust on this exciting development for the City and help deliver a new world class facility for Sunderland Eye Infirmary as part of our Riverside Sunderland plans. We look forward to working with the NHS in the weeks and months ahead as plans progress.” Healthcare leaders will use the feedback gathered over the next few months to shape its plans for a new Eye Hospital before submitting a formal planning application at the end of May. The Trust hopes to start building work in 2022 (subject to planning approval) and is aiming for the new Eye Hospital to open in 2024. For more information visit: www.stsft.nhs.uk/neweyehospital or email stsft.SEI@nhs.net.
CONSTRUCTION firm Stepnell has delivered a new exclusive £12 million care facility in the West Midlands. The state-of-the-art scheme – located in Eastcote, Solihull – was completed in just over 18-months on behalf of luxury care home provider Cinnamon Care Collection, which has been recognised as a top 20 recommended care home group for the past three years. The luxury care and retirement living development, named Eastcote Park, is now ready to open its doors to residents next month, providing residential and respite care, as well as a dedicated community for those living with dementia. The two-storey build features a 50-bedroom care home and two additional apartment blocks that house 34 two-bedroom retirement apartments, with personal and private lift access for first-floor residents. The former garden centre and once brownfield site has been transformed with beautiful landscaped gardens, as well as outstanding facilities – such as a restaurant, bar, fitness suite, cinema room, hair and beauty salon and multiple lounges. Adrian Barnes, regional director at Stepnell, said: “We are really proud to have delivered this fantastic, advanced care facility for one of our repeat clients and one of the most highly regarded care home providers in the country. “As a former brownfield site, the land provided several practical challenges for us – such as surface water issues – as it is surrounded by countryside. We also had the added pressure of lockdown for a large chunk of the build, requiring us to adhere to government guidelines to ensure that we could stay on site to deliver the project on time and on budget. “Stepnell is continuing to increase its portfolio of high-end luxury care homes in the UK, and our care specialists pride themselves in understanding the importance of a beautifully designed living space and the impact it can have on the people living there. We are really pleased to be able to continue our successful relationship with Cinnamon on another care home in Stourbridge, due to commence on site shortly.” Albert Josephs, head of development at Cinnamon Care Collection, said: “We are excited to be opening the doors to our new, luxury retirement village for the West Midlands. Construction firm, Stepnell has done an outstanding job in completing Eastcote Park over the last 18-months – so much so that we are planning to appoint them for future Cinnamon sites. Every detail within the care home and the retirement village has been carefully planned to the highest standards, using the finest quality furnishings and fittings throughout.” The new ultra-modern care facility, designed by architects Harris Irwin, has been carefully designed with dedicated areas including sensory, reminiscence and visual stimulation to help support those living with dementia. Ian Holme, director at Harris Irwin, said: “We are delighted to have been involved in this project at Eastcote Park and seeing it through from inception to completion. Working closely with both Cinnamon and Stepnell, this outstanding development is the result of a fantastic team effort by all concerned, delivering the highest quality of accommodation and care environment for its residents. “We have no doubt that Eastcote Park will prove to be a highly successful development and we very much look forward to working with both Cinnamon and Stepnell on many more such projects in the future.” To find out more about Eastcote Park www.cinnamoncc.com/retirement-villages/eastcote-park/ To find out more about Stepnell visit: www.stepnell.co.uk. Join the conversation at @Stepnellltd.
