Dalkia, a subsidiary of the electric utility company Électricité de France (EDF), has won the subcontract to provide mechanical, electrical, and public health services (MEP) in the £110m Countess of Chester Hospital construction project.
The 25m subcontract was awarded to Dalkia by Integrated Health Projects (IHP), who have secured the project through the Procure23 Framework.
IHP is the joint venture between VINCI Building, and Sir Robert McAlpine, construction companies.
Dalkia has secured the mechanical, electrical, and public health services (MEP) subcontract for the Countess of Chester Hospital project
Dalkia has now started work to install a power supply in the Countess of Chester Hospital’s new Women and Children’s Building. This electrical work is estimated to be completed in eight days.
Tony Walker, Dalkia Regional Director, said: "We are delighted to have secured this project at Countess of Chester Hospital and to help create these new facilities that will provide support to patients and benefit the wider community."
"This project follows the successful delivery of The Paterson Building, and we are looking forward to working with IHP and the Trust to deliver this project, further enhancing our expertise within this sector," Walker concluded.
The new Women and Children’s Building
Work is well underway on The Countess of Chester Hospital’s brand new Women and Children’s Building (WCB), which is on track to open to the public in summer 2025.
Construction work officially started in June on the £110m three-storey facility, which will replace the existing Women and Children’s Building that has been in use since 1971, making it the oldest building in the estate.
Work has progressed well over the past few months, with two large cranes currently visible in the hospital grounds, which will remain on site until next summer and enable the construction process to be completed within the 2025 deadline.
Further, the facility will be BREEAM certified.
Construction work officially started in June on the £110m three-storey facility
The development comes as The Trust has been allocated £110m funding from the National RAAC Programme which replaces buildings containing the Re-enforced Autoclaved Aeriated Concrete that will be eliminated from construction use by 2025.
Moreover, maternity, neonatal, paediatric and gynaecology services currently housed in the existing Women and Children’s Building will all move into the new building, which will also provide increased capacity and additional modern rest spaces for patients, families, and staff.
The ground floor of the new building will include:
- A brand-new neonatal unit with up to 16 cots
- A full delivery suite for 11 births, with two Obstetric theatres
The first-floor will have a maternity ward with 24 single bedrooms, as well as en-suite bathrooms that have been specially designed to promote accessibility.
The second floor will house a new Children’s Ward, complete with access to overnight accommodation for patients, as well as increased rest facilities for hospital staff.
The facility will be BREEAM certified
Garry Bowker, IHP Regional Managing Director said: “I am so proud to be part of such a fantastic new project. There has been lots of activity on site, and we are already starting to see excellent progress being made."
"The new Women and Children’s development will be a great asset for Chester and its surrounding areas, bringing significant employment and training opportunities to the area, and ultimately leaving a positive legacy for the local community," Bowker concluded.
