Healthcare contractor Stepnell has completed a £5.5m refurbishment and extension of Leicester Diabetes Centre at Leicester General Hospital, expanding facilities at one of the UK’s leading clinical research centres for diabetes.
The three-storey extension adds clinical research rooms, offices, staff facilities, a lifestyle gymnasium and a metabolic kitchen.
Designed by Stephen George + Partners, the development sits within the original building’s H-shaped footprint, which spans more than 10,000 sqm.
The project was delivered for University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and the University of Leicester through the NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) framework.
The extension is the first phase of a wider expansion of Leicester Diabetes Centre, which has grown from a single research nurse to more than 200 colleagues.
Construction was completed within a 52-week programme on a steeply sloping site surrounded on three sides by occupied hospital buildings.
The work required close coordination with the Trust to minimise disruption to hospital operations and patients, including those receiving care in adjacent wards.
“Live healthcare sites demand specialist experience and the client-contractor relationship is vital to exceeding the required behaviours of working on site,” said Tom Sewell, Director at Stepnell.
The construction programme included removing an embankment and diverting a mains electrical supply beneath the building’s footprint.
Specialist contractors installed encapsulated doors and integrated panel systems to meet Health Technical Memoranda standards, with a hospital hygiene inspector overseeing the work.
Mobile elevating work platforms were used to install the external silver profiled steel cladding in place of fixed scaffolding.
Crane lifts and deliveries were coordinated with the Trust through planned road closures.
How is the extension sustainable?
The extension also incorporates renewable energy infrastructure, with Step Energy, part of Stepnell Group, installing photovoltaic panels on the roof.
The building features full-height windows on its south elevation to maximise natural daylight, alongside a glazed atrium enclosing the southern courtyard.
Stepnell said no defects had been reported by the Trust since handover.
The contractor also supported a T Level student through weekly site-management shadowing and took part in planting 2,000 saplings in the hospital grounds.
“The new space will strengthen our ability to deliver world-leading clinical research, education and innovation in diabetes and other long-term conditions, ultimately helping us improve outcomes for people living with these conditions,” said Bernie Stribling, Assistant Director of International and External Business Development at Leicester Diabetes Centre.
