MTX Contracts, a specialist in Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), has started delivering modules for the £49m extension of Frimley Park Hospital.
An MTX spokesperson told Building Better Healthcare that groundworks are now complete and it has already delivered the first instalment of modules that will make up the new building.
A Frimley Health NHS Foundation spokesperson added: “On Tuesday 27 February we started receiving delivery of the 179 modules that will make up our fantastic new building.”
“It will take around three and a half weeks (that’s eight or nine modules delivered every day) for all the modules to be in place,” the spokesperson explained.
MTX expects to install the first module delivery by the end of March.
The Trust expects to open the two new inpatient wards in late 2024
Another recent milestone was the installation of 127 ‘steels’ (26.5 tonnes of steel) that make up the frame of the corridor that will link the new building to the existing hospital.
The new three-storey building will be ready to receive patients in two phases, according to the Trust’s spokesperson.
What will be there?
The two new inpatient wards will include 74 additional beds across two storeys, offering a combination of single rooms and four-bed bays.
The Trust further expects to open the dedicated breast care diagnostic and outpatient unit in Spring 2025.
The breast care diagnostic and outpatient unit will provide a “‘one stop’ service in a much-improved modern environment,” according to the spokesperson.
Most recently we have achieved a key milestone for the project by completing the below ground drainage
The unit will also include a new state-of-the-art imaging centre, which will provide increased capacity.
The imaging centre will be equipped with the latest diagnostic imaging equipment including three CT scanners, two MRI scanners and two gamma cameras, “all within comfortable, purpose-built accommodation,” according to the Trust’s spokesperson.
The Trust expects to open the two new inpatient wards in late 2024.
Scott McCaskie, Director, MTX Contracts, said: "MTX commenced on the project early November 2023 with the off-site manufacture of the building, simultaneously we commenced on site.”
“Most recently, we have achieved a key milestone for the project by completing the below-ground drainage, raft slab and steel superstructure,” McCaskie added.
“Our excellent site delivery team are currently progressing with the building delivery/installation in readiness for the internal fit-out to commence in late March 2024,” McCaskie concluded.
This is a significant investment that will help us to continue to deliver high standards of care for our patients
Ongoing transformation programme
James Clarke, Frimley Health Chief Strategy Officer said: “This is a key part of our ongoing transformation programme and represents a significant investment in the services and facilities we can provide for our local communities.
“The additional beds will help us manage the increases in demand we have experienced in recent years and reduce waiting times for planned care.”
“They will also enable more efficient ward refurbishments and reduce the disruption caused by the ongoing remedial work to keep areas affected by RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) safe,” Clarke continued.
Frimley Park Hospital was one of the seven NHS hospitals most affected by RAAC and is in need of a full rebuild.
Clarke said: “This is a significant investment that will help us to continue to deliver high standards of care for our patients as we wait for our new Frimley Park Hospital.”
This update comes as Frimley Park Hospital extension was initially reported to cost £47m, but the Trust's spokesperson told Building Better Healthcare that this sum was in the early press releases and the actual cost of the extension is £49m as stated in the full business case approval.
However, the £49m price tag includes some of the medical equipment, according to the Trust's spokesperson.
Also, this update comes as MTX announced that it won the contract for the extension in January.
