From factory floor to state-of-the-art ward space in less than four months

Following a successful bid for funding to support winter pressures, University Hospital North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) had to procure, build and commission a 64-bed ward in less than four months.

A traditional bricks and mortar approach simply couldn’t have been achieved on such a challenging programme so the Trust turned to offsite construction experts Portakabin to turn around the project in time.

In no way a straight forward build, the new ward had to be connected to an existing building and installed onto a busy hospital site.

Work was completed in less than four months due to the commitment and hard work of a dedicated construction team. This included a number of local contractors who were willing to work over the Christmas and New Year period to ensure the project was completed in record time. Some had parents in the hospital at the time receiving treatment and were inspired to contribute to the challenging programme.

The investment has meant the hospital’s performance during January has been much better than the same period of the previous year. Thanks to Portakabin, the additional beds are helping the Trust meet A&E performance targets and prevent the overcapacity experienced during winter 2017/18.

Nick Griffin, General Manager, Portakabin comments: “By increasing the number of beds at the Royal Stoke site, more patients are now able to receive high quality patient care during the winter period.

“The unrelenting dedication and hard-working nature of NHS staff shouldn’t be the only thing health providers rely on when the pressure is on busy accident and emergency departments – best practice encourages hospitals to always be proactively planning care, assessing variations in risk and working towards high-quality continuation in healthcare. We specialise in this; providing space quickly, with no compromise on quality.”

Lorraine Whitehead, Director of Estates, Facilities and PFI at UHNM, said: "Portakabin worked with us round the clock to ensure the 64-bed facility was completed in less than four months. This was a remarkable achievement and testament to the hard work, commitment and dedication of all who worked on the project. The four-bay wards are excellent and everyone – staff and patients – are delighted with the results. It meets all permanent building standards and complies with all NHS regulations, which means it will serve us well for as long as we need it.”

posted by : Portakabin