Morgan Sindall Construction’s Yorkshire team has handed over its work refurbishing a maternity unit on behalf of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTHFT).
UK-based Morgan Sindall works on many healthcare projects, such as work at Evelina London Children's Hospital, Southlands Hospital and Woodside & Gorbals Health & Care Centres.
The Maternity Assessment Centre (MAC) at Bradford Royal Infirmary has had a complete refurbishment, with the space being stripped back to a bare shell before being rebuilt from scratch. The MAC now offers improved facilities to better serve women and children and support the clinical team.
In April, a report came out saying over 2,000 hospital buildings were older than the NHS itself. Originally built in the 1920s, 59% of Bradford Royal Infirmary is still from this original development. This refurbishment is in keeping with the statement from the spokesperson from BTHFT: “We are continuing to invest in each site year on year."
The facility includes a four-day bed and two single-bed bays and contributes to the Trust’s goal of providing outstanding maternity services.
The refurbishment took place within a fully operational hospital, surrounded by key areas including the delivery centre and day unit. Morgan Sindall’s project team worked closely with clinical staff to coordinate logistics and ensure the works were delivered successfully without impacting service users.
Morgan Sindall also liaised with clinical staff and project managers, Hive, to ensure the specifications of the MAC provided the best possible environment for delivering a quality service to women and babies.
During the complex rebuild, Morgan Sindall’s Intelligent Solutions approach saw the installation of a new air handling unit was also installed to provide improved ventilation within the MAC and the wider maternity unit.
The new MAC department has been completed to a high-quality standard, within budget and programme
The project team has also supported the Trust in its efforts to create a Reflection Garden, as part of Morgan Sindall’s commitment to supporting the local community.
Elsewhere, Morgan Sindall has boosted the local economy through its local supplier procurement strategy and extensive use of SMEs, while its community engagement strategy saw the creation of employment and skills initiatives, including working with disadvantaged students in schools to raise aspiration and attainment.
Ben Hall, Yorkshire Area Director for Morgan Sindall, said: “Over the years we have gained extensive experience of working in busy, live hospital environments," Hall added. "That know-how helped us to deliver a facility that meets the highest standards of safety and comfort and provides a supportive environment for women.”
Robert Catton, Project Manager at Hive Projects added: “It is great that we have now handed over the first phase of the project which is already making such a big difference to clinical service users and patients."
The new MAC is everything that we wanted and more
“The new MAC department has been completed to a high-quality standard, within budget and programme," Catton said. "This has been achieved by having a robust project execution plan in place and working collaboratively with project team partners like Morgan Sindall and BRI Trust stakeholders including clinical, estates operations and IT teams.”
Maternity Assessment Centre and Antenatal Day Unit Manager at BTHFT, Midwife Nicole Wood, said: “It is miles ahead of our last unit because it is so bright, airy and woman-centred. The waiting room is large, and we don’t have to share it with other maternity clinics - basically, the new MAC is everything that we wanted and more, and it also feels much calmer.”
Outstanding Maternity Services (OMS) Programme Midwifery Lead, Alison Powell, said: ‘’We have worked in partnership with service users, staff, and stakeholders to design our new MAC as part of the OMS Building Fit for the Future workstream. I am delighted that we have achieved our ambition to significantly improve the care and work environment for service users and staff."
Image credit: Morgan Sindall