nhs

Plans in Place for Highland Hospitals

The final details have been safely negotiated for the construction of the new Badenoch and Strathspey Community Hospital this summer in Highland. Signed off by the Scottish Government, the plans also include an overhaul of healthcare services in the strath. “My visit to Skye and Lochalsh today has been an

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New £25M Hospital Arrives to Berwick

Berwick will turn one of its current infirmary into a new £25 million hospital, with all of its previous services still continuing into the new building. After reviewing feedback on previous proposals to develop a joint site with the Swan leisure centre, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Northumberland

Read More »

Ascot Hospital Transformed by Kier

The Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot is to receive a £98 million transformation from Kier. The new 11,500 sq m site will specialise in planned, non-emergency procedures, while offering state-of-the-art outpatient and diagnostic facilities for cardiology, radiology, lithotripsy, children’s clinic, physiotherapy and orthodontics. “This latest win is a hugely important milestone for

Read More »

DIY Projects Cost NHS £220M a Year

One in six Britons who have undertaken a DIY project at home in the last year have injured themselves in the process, costing the NHS an estimated £222 million from A&E visits. The main culprits behind the injuries from home DIY projects were power tools, ladders and general tools. The

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Essentia Secures Place on Framework to Develop NHS Estates

Healthcare consultancy, Essentia Trading, has won a place on a national framework making it easier for NHS Trusts and other public sector bodies to procure experts on property and estates strategy. The Framework for the Provision of Property and Estates Consultancy Services (OJEU Reference: 2018/S 106 – 241898) was set

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Plans Have Been Unveiled for Two Hospitals in Leeds

The plans for Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) have been revealed by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. While the plans include a dedicated Children’s Hospital on the Leeds General Infirmary site, proposals have also been submitted to Leeds City Council for discussion at a pre-planning application presentation. The first hospital building

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NHS Glasgow Approves Health Facilities Development

The Board of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has fully approved plans for a number of new health facilities, worth some £50 million. The business cases approved include £11 million for Stobhill Mental Health Wards and £19 million for Clydebank Health and Care Centre. The next and final stage of

Read More »

Manchester Welcomes UK’s First NHS PBT Centre

The Christie in Manchester has seen the UK’s first NHS high-energy Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) Centre. The state of the art technology uses an advanced form of radiotherapy for the treatment of complex and hard-to-treat cancers in children and adults. Selected by the Department of Health as one of the

Read More »

Kier Selected for Hospital Transformation Programme

A £39.5 million hospital transformation programme for the Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals will be delivered by construction firm Kier. Secured through the Procure22 framework, the project is set to modernise hospital buildings to underpin service transformation and provide the next generation of care at the country’s two main

Read More »

Pick Everard Appointed for NHS SBS Consult 18 Framework

Pick Everard, the leading property, construction and infrastructure consultancy, has secured a four-year appointment to deliver a range of services to the healthcare and wider public sector through the NHS SBS Consult 18 framework. The NHS Shared Business Services framework provides business support services to the NHS and public sector

Read More »
Latest Issue
Issue 325 : Feb 2025

nhs

Plans in Place for Highland Hospitals

The final details have been safely negotiated for the construction of the new Badenoch and Strathspey Community Hospital this summer in Highland. Signed off by the Scottish Government, the plans also include an overhaul of healthcare services in the strath. “My visit to Skye and Lochalsh today has been an opportunity to find out more about the work underway to deliver the recommendations in Sir Lewis Ritchie’s report on out-of-hours services,” said Health Secretary Jeane Freeman. “Reading the latest report and hearing from members of the community, the clinicians and other partners has reassured me that NHS Highland are moving in the right direction. I have been particularly impressed with the level of commitment and drive shown by the community and their representatives working with NHS Highland and their partners to develop solutions together.” The plans are part of a joint £48 million full business case submitted to Scottish Ministers to modernise community and hospital services for two NHS Highland localities – the other area being Skye, Lochalsh and South West Ross. The Government’s Capital Investment Group has now approved the full business case submission; which means construction of the two community hospitals will begin this summer. “This investment represents a major step forward for NHS services in both Skye and Badenoch and Strathspey. It supports our efforts to modernise and transform the delivery of healthcare and, in terms of our promise to improve out-of-hours care on Skye, it is very much in line with the recommendations of the Ritchie Report,” said NHS Highland’s chief executive Iain Stewart. “We are delighted to be able to turn this vision into reality and I would like to recognise the huge contribution made by local communities, staff and partner agencies in reaching this stage. The redesigned services will be more stable, more sustainable and will deliver a better experience for our patients and wider communities,” he added. £4.6 million will be used to refurbish and retain existing facilities in Grantown, Kingussie, Broadford and Portree. However, both Ian Charles Hospital in Grantown and Kingussie’s St Vincent’s Hospital will close when the new Aviemore hospital opens its doors.

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New £25M Hospital Arrives to Berwick

Berwick will turn one of its current infirmary into a new £25 million hospital, with all of its previous services still continuing into the new building. After reviewing feedback on previous proposals to develop a joint site with the Swan leisure centre, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) agreed on the development. “We are delighted to be able to announce that the new hospital will be built on the site of the much loved (Berwick) Infirmary,” said Northumbria Healthcare CEO Sir James Mackey. “Following extensive joint public engagement, and a thorough review of all alternative sites, we believe this is the best option which also commands the support of both staff and the community – a factor which is very important to both the trust and the CCG. “It is clear that the joint development was not what the town wanted. Instead, people demonstrated their support for a stand-alone hospital on the current site. Accordingly, we have listened, responded and worked together to come up with this plan as an alternative.” The authorities will put a major emphasis on eradicating the need to travel for minor or routine appointments in the plans by ensuring they track and publish the number of miles patients have to travel on a yearly basis. The design of the facility will also focus flexibility, embracing new technology and ensuring outstanding care. “This is great news for Berwick and we are delighted to see the project moving forward in a way that meets the needs of the local community. Patients are at the heart of our services and this decision is as a direct result of the feedback we have heard,” added Janet Guy, chair of Northumberland CCG. “We very much look forward to working with Northumbria Healthcare to provide a first class health facility for the people of Berwick. It’s very exciting and is brilliant news for both the NHS and the town.” Preliminary talks are underway with a number of possible developers.

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Ascot Hospital Transformed by Kier

The Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot is to receive a £98 million transformation from Kier. The new 11,500 sq m site will specialise in planned, non-emergency procedures, while offering state-of-the-art outpatient and diagnostic facilities for cardiology, radiology, lithotripsy, children’s clinic, physiotherapy and orthodontics. “This latest win is a hugely important milestone for healthcare delivery in the south of England. It is testament to the drive, energy and passion of the team at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust that this new build hospital will help transform delivery of healthcare to residents of Ascot and the surrounding area,” said Jonathan Payne, managing director for Kier Construction Thames Valley and director at Kier Buildings. Kier was awarded the build contract by Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust through the ProCure21+ framework. “Working collaboratively with the trust over the last three years, we have also delivered a new maternity unit and emergency assessment centre for Wexham Park Hospital. Alongside our local supply chain, we have extensive experience delivering healthcare projects and we look forward to playing a pivotal role in the transformation of Heatherwood Hospital,” added Jonathan. The new hospital is expected to double the services of the existing facility within its first 10 years, offering six operating theatres and 48 inpatient beds, plus 22 day case cubicles. A primary care hub and private patient unit will also be located on site. “We are delighted that we can now deliver our vision for the Heatherwood site. The new hospital will ensure we can offer local patients the best care in the best environment and it is a key part of our strategy to remain an innovative and outstanding trust well into the future. We can’t wait to get started,” commented Frimley Health chief executive Neil Dardis. The transformation work is due to begin on site this month, with completion scheduled for the end of 2021.

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DIY Projects Cost NHS £220M a Year

One in six Britons who have undertaken a DIY project at home in the last year have injured themselves in the process, costing the NHS an estimated £222 million from A&E visits. The main culprits behind the injuries from home DIY projects were power tools, ladders and general tools. The research, undertaken by the team at www.MyJobQuote.co.uk, surveyed 2,802 people aged between 18 and 65 years old. Respondents all stated that they lived in their own home, whether owned or rented. The research found that 64% of respondents have undertaken a form of DIY or home improvement on their property within the last year, all of whom were under the age of 65. Of those that had partaken in DIY in the past year, one in six (17%) were found to have caused injury to themselves in the process. The injury was so severe for 26% of these that they had to visit A&E to treat the injury, whilst a further 5% called an ambulance to be taken to hospital. The results indicate that 2.8% of Britons aged 18-65 have ended up in A&E as a result of a DIY injury, whilst less than 1% have been taken to hospital in an ambulance. Using NHS statistics on the average cost of visiting A&E (£143) and the cost of getting an ambulance to hospital (£259)*, along with the most recent ONS data for the population of 18-65 year olds in the UK (40,762,058), the results indicate that DIY injuries cost the NHS £222,322,225 in hospital visits last year. The leading five causes of the injuries were revealed to be: Contact with a power tool – 23% Fell from a ladder – 22% Contact with a non-power tool – 17% Electrocuted myself – 10% Incident with a Lawnmower – 6% Asked if they had missed any time off work as a result of their DIY injury, as many as three fifths (60%) said that they had missed at least one day, with the average found to be three days. Unfortunately 12% said the injury had caused long-term damage, and a further 6% said that they were unable to return to work for at least one year. “DIY naturally comes with its own set of risks as the equipment used, such as power tools and ladders, can be dangerous if not used properly. Obviously accidents happen and can sometimes be unavoidable, but a high number of these accidents could be averted with the proper precautions, thus alleviating the strain and cost on the NHS. Always wear protection, such as goggles or a mask and gloves where necessary, take extra care when using power tools and dealing with electrics and never go up a ladder without someone holding the base for you,” commented on the findings Lisa Evans, spokesperson for www.MyJobQuote.co.uk.

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Essentia Secures Place on Framework to Develop NHS Estates

Healthcare consultancy, Essentia Trading, has won a place on a national framework making it easier for NHS Trusts and other public sector bodies to procure experts on property and estates strategy. The Framework for the Provision of Property and Estates Consultancy Services (OJEU Reference: 2018/S 106 – 241898) was set up to help enable NHS organisations deliver the recommendations of the independent review by Sir Robert Naylor on NHS Property and Estates (March 2017). The framework is being run by NHS Commercial Solutions, extends for four years and has an estimated value of £100m. The Naylor review asserted that without investment into the NHS estate, the Government’s Five Year Forward View (5YFV) could not be delivered and the NHS estate would remain unfit for purpose and continue to deteriorate. It called for the NHS to develop robust capital plans that align with clinical strategies, maximise value for money (including land sales) and address backlog maintenance, backed by capital from the Government. The review also identified that £2bn could be realised from selling off surplus land within NHS estates to help fund 26,000 homes. Essentia has won places on Lot 1 (Land and Property Appraisals (Six Facet Surveys1) and Lot 2: General Property and Estates Consultancy) of the framework. Stephen Edgar, Director of Property at Essentia, said: “The NHS estate is large and of varying quality. It comprises over 1,200 sites, 6,500 hectares of land and buildings with a gross internal area of 26 million square metres. Forty-three percent of the estate is over 30 years’ old and whilst some buildings have been upgraded, much of the NHS is operating in inadequate buildings. “There is a significant need to modernise the estate, as well as deal with backlog maintenance. In some cases, out of date or unfit buildings could be sold or used for other purposes such as housing. “At Essentia, our team is highly experienced in managing property for the NHS and other public sector organisations. By enhancing property management, flexible use of space and rationalisation of estate, we are assisting organisations in delivering savings and reinvesting disposal proceeds back into front line services. Our extensive property expertise and knowledge helps our clients develop their estate strategy and business cases to enable service transformation.” Essentia’s property and estates management clients include: Royal Salford NHS Foundation Trust, Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, The Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (East Grinstead), Barts Health NHS Trust and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, amongst others.   For more information on Essentia’s property expertise visit: https://www.essentia.uk.com/

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Plans Have Been Unveiled for Two Hospitals in Leeds

The plans for Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) have been revealed by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. While the plans include a dedicated Children’s Hospital on the Leeds General Infirmary site, proposals have also been submitted to Leeds City Council for discussion at a pre-planning application presentation. The first hospital building will be joined to the LGI’s Jubilee Wing, extending health services for adults. Among its facilities will be a new theatre suite dedicated to day case procedures, endoscopy and radiology services and a central Outpatients department supported by key services like pharmacy. In addition, the new building will offer more critical care capacity, allowing the LGI to expand its highly specialist services, such as major trauma or cardiac care, and to develop further specialist healthcare in the future. “This is a really exciting development for our hospitals that will be a huge step forward in the way we provide healthcare for patients in Leeds and the wider region,” said Julian Hartley, Chief Executive at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. “By designing hospital buildings from the ground up, we’ll be able to embrace new technologies and innovation to deliver modern, efficient health services that are tailored to our patients’ needs, not just now but in the future,” he added. The second hospital building will be solely dedicated to children. For the first time in Leeds, this will bring together staff and services from the current Children’s Hospital in the LGI’s Clarendon and Martin wings to deliver health services for children and young people in purpose-built facilities dedicated solely to their needs.

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NHS Glasgow Approves Health Facilities Development

The Board of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has fully approved plans for a number of new health facilities, worth some £50 million. The business cases approved include £11 million for Stobhill Mental Health Wards and £19 million for Clydebank Health and Care Centre. The next and final stage of the process of developing each facility involves the submission of a full business case to the Scottish Government Capital Investment Group for consideration in November. “I am delighted the full business case has been approved. This is another major milestone for plans to build modern, state-of-the-art facilities for our Mental Health in-patients at Stobhill,” said David Williams, chief officer, Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), about the Stobhill development. “The HSCP’s commitment to providing high standards of effective care in appropriate settings is clearly demonstrated by NHSGGC’s decision today. This will see our patients staying in modern wards that are at the very forefront of modern Mental Health in-patient accommodation,” added David. Speaking about the Clydebank Health and Care Centre, Beth Culshaw, chief officer, West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), said: “I am delighted that the full business case has been approved. This is another major milestone for plans to rebuild a modern, state-of-the-art health and care centre for the people of Clydebank. The HSCP’s commitment to tackling health inequalities in areas of high deprivation and promoting social regeneration is clearly demonstrated by NHSGGC’s decision today.” “The national transformation of primary care means that this project is not about a simple replacement of an existing facility. It is about taking the opportunity to create a centre where the people of Clydebank can expect to be supported by a wide range of professionals, closer to their home, and enabled to live healthier, more independent lives,” Beth concluded.

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Manchester Welcomes UK’s First NHS PBT Centre

The Christie in Manchester has seen the UK’s first NHS high-energy Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) Centre. The state of the art technology uses an advanced form of radiotherapy for the treatment of complex and hard-to-treat cancers in children and adults. Selected by the Department of Health as one of the two providers of the service, together with University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, The Christie chose to deliver the construction phase through the Procure 21 framework. It worked in partnership with Interserve. “We are delighted to be able to offer this life changing treatment to patients. The delivery of this facility has been one of the most complex and precise projects within the NHS. We identified very early in the project that we needed a construction partner that could work alongside our team. The partnership approach integrated with Interserve’s technical expertise and energy to solve problems is one of the key reasons we completed on time,” said Jason Dawson, Director of Capital, Estates and Facilities of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. Providing 4 treatment rooms, a patient reception, consultation rooms and public space, the five storey building is designed to be future proof with additional space for the Trust to grow into. As PBT uses a high-energy beam of protons rather than high-energy X-rays to deliver a dose of radiotherapy, the building’s concrete walls had to be up to six metres thick. The building incorporates 20,000 m³ of concrete and 1,700 tonnes of reinforcement, including steel bars up to 100mm diameter. Through this, 10 km of services pipework has been carefully threaded. The concrete itself weighs 48,000 tonnes, the equivalent of two aircraft carriers. In order to meet the building’s demanding energy needs, a new substation has been built, providing an equivalent amount of power to that needed to run the nearby Trafford Industrial Park. Starting with this autumn, the building will begin treating patients and, once fully operational, it will treat around 750 people a year.

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Kier Selected for Hospital Transformation Programme

A £39.5 million hospital transformation programme for the Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals will be delivered by construction firm Kier. Secured through the Procure22 framework, the project is set to modernise hospital buildings to underpin service transformation and provide the next generation of care at the country’s two main acute hospitals. “Kier is delighted to have been chosen by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation to deliver such an important healthcare development programme for the region, under the P22 framework,” said Ben Ramsay, operations director at Kier. “We understand this programme of building modernisation is vital to underpin important service transformation at both Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals. We’re looking forward to working with the Gloucestershire supply chain and local community to provide many employment opportunities and create a number of new jobs in the upcoming years. It also presents a great opportunity to support Shaping Your World™, an industry-wide campaign to inspire 11-15 year-olds to pursue careers in the built environment,” Ben added. The plans for both sites are being developed collaboratively by Kier and the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, expecting funding that will be focused on theatre provision at Cheltenham General and acute care pathways at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. “We are delighted to be working with Kier on this exciting project; they have considerable experience of working with public sector partners to deliver innovative solutions and I am confident that with their help this investment will ensure both our hospitals are increasingly well placed to deliver the very best care for our patients and support our developing vision for Centres of Excellence,” said Deborah Lee, Chief Executive of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.  

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Pick Everard Appointed for NHS SBS Consult 18 Framework

Pick Everard, the leading property, construction and infrastructure consultancy, has secured a four-year appointment to deliver a range of services to the healthcare and wider public sector through the NHS SBS Consult 18 framework. The NHS Shared Business Services framework provides business support services to the NHS and public sector across the country and it will see Pick Everard building on its expertise in the management consultancy market, providing advisory and consultancy services. “The NHS is a treasured British institution celebrating its 70th anniversary this year and we’re extremely proud and excited to have been appointed to its new Shared Business Services framework. Under the NHS banner, clients in the healthcare and public sectors can be assured of a robust procurement solution from trusted suppliers,” said Dr Nicola Thompson, national director at Pick Everard. Valued at between £20 million and £50 million, the Consult 18 framework has been divided into 10 lots that cover a range of consultancy services to support healthcare and public sector organisations, from GP practices to major public authorities. Pick Everard will be delivering a number of services for three different lots, with services such as strategy development, management support, capital asset delivery, complex projects and change management. “The rapid, sustainable growth Pick Everard has experienced over the past five years – along with our focus on quality, high levels of service and technical excellence – has been delivered on the back of major appointments such as this one,” said Rod Burton, partner at Pick Everard. “Being a multi-disciplinary consultancy allows us to deliver a wide variety of services across a range of different sectors and I’m looking forward to seeing our management consultancy services offering growing over the next four years and beyond. The Pick Everard team has worked hard to develop tailor-made delivery approaches for each contract, which has put us in the best position possible to meet the complex needs of different organisations,” he continued. Pick Everard employs more than 450 staff across its 11 UK offices, providing a range of project, cost and design consultancy services.

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