Merit, a UK based industrialised construction and digital manufacturing specialist, has been appointed by Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C) to design and deliver its new 48 bed modular unit on the Norwich Community Hospital site in Norfolk.
This multi million pound modern facility has been designed with sustainability in mind and Merit aims to deliver in five months.
News of Merit’s appointment follows NCH&C’s announcement in August 2023 that it was one of thirty NHS organisations awarded funding to provide more beds and increase capacity to help relieve hospital pressures and cut waiting lists.
The therapy-led unit, named Willow Therapy Unit following a vote by NCH&C staff, patients, families, and local residents, will improve the transition of patients from hospital care to the community, helping to ease pressure on local acute hospitals.
A multidisciplinary team of clinical professionals dedicated to patient recovery and wellbeing will be based at the new facility, which will play a key role in the delivery of patient centred, supportive care in Norfolk and Waveney.
We’re delighted to be working collaboratively with Norfolk Community Health & Care NHS Trust to deliver this new facility, which will bring improved healthcare services to the local community
The state-of-the-art facility will include a combination of single and four-bedded bays, as well as treatment areas, an assessment kitchen and self-service café area where patients can make drinks for themselves and their families, staff amenities and a reception area.
Merit’s in-house design team have curated a facility which prioritises ease of access whilst also catering to the footfall requirements of both patients and staff.
Utilising advanced 4D BIM modelling technology and a product-based approach, Merit’s offering is especially suited to meet the current needs of healthcare facilities, enabling the highest level of infection control and easy adaptability for future needs.
Pioneering a new approach to the industrialisation of construction
Pioneering a new approach to the industrialisation of construction, Merit will be delivering this facility using its new V6 UltraPOD (registered trademark) SFS variant. UltraPOD is Merit’s expandable full building solution that can be configured to create multiple types of buildings for a variety of uses.
As Merit seeks to continually optimise its way of working to better serve and meet its customer’s needs, the new UltraPOD SFS variant, utilises Merit’s latest roll former, panel line production system to enhance affordability and accessibility through a significantly reduced programme.
The V6 platform comes as standard, rated BREEAM Excellent as a minimum, EPC-A and energy consumption is 69% lower than current CIBSE hospital benchmarks.
CEO of Merit, Tony Wells, said: “We’re delighted to be working collaboratively with Norfolk Community Health & Care NHS Trust to deliver this new facility, which will bring improved healthcare services to the local community. Merit’s new UltraPOD SFS variant is ideal for this project, bringing enormous advantages in terms of speed, quality, a sustainable centric design, enhanced infection control and affordability.”
CEO of NCH&C, Matthew Winn, said: “We are extremely pleased to be working with Merit on this important project for the Norfolk and Waveney health and care system. Therapy-led care provided at the Willow Therapy Unit will help bridge the gap between hospital and home and allow local residents to seamlessly move from hospital back into their communities.”