OFFSITE BUILD AND ENGINEERING
Harnessing a standard ‘kit of parts’ approach pays off
Patrick Morrison, Healthcare Sector director for NG Bailey’s Engineering Division, discusses the engineering and services business’s use of Modern Methods of Construction and a standard ‘kit of parts’ approach to healthcare schemes – which enables it to deliver projects ‘in a significantly safer, better, greener, and more efficient way’ than using traditional construction methods. He draws for ‘evidence’ particularly on recent such work for the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
In May last year the Government announced that five more hospitals would be built in England, in addition to the 40 new projects announced in 2019 as part of its New Hospital Programme (NHP), making it the largest hospital building programme in a generation. This ambitious proposal requires innovative thinking and a strategic approach when it comes to how we design and build new hospitals. While cost and time efficiencies are high on the agenda for the NHP, so is the journey to reaching Net Zero Carbon, particularly for the NHS, which has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2040.1 At least 14 buildings in the NHP will be built using standardised components and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), with the aim of completing the projects 25% faster.2
However, despite
MMC having been positioned as the key to transforming construction, it is still relatively underutilised. The Government’s commitment to using MMC within the NHP therefore has the potential to shape the future of not only the entire healthcare system, but the construction industry too.
Championing MMC for decades At NG Bailey we have been championing MMC for decades, making it a key part of our approach for projects across the business. Our application of this approach, and our specialised offsite manufacturing facility in Bradford, the largest of its kind in the UK, allows us to deliver projects in a significantly safer, better, greener, and more efficient way than if we used traditional construction methods. It’s an approach we have used many times in healthcare settings, particularly in our 20- year partnership with Integrated Health Projects (IHP), the joint venture between VINCI Building and Sir Robert McAlpine, where we have gained a reputation for delivering high-quality engineering solutions for complex healthcare facilities. This is largely due to our ‘offsite first’ approach, which not only maximises
68 Health Estate Journal May 2024
NG Bailey, working in partnership with IHP, has delivered nine projects at Chesterfield Royal Hospital over a 10-year period. Its most recent project there was the development of a new Urgent and Emergency Care unit, and an extension and refurbishment of the Paediatric Assessment Unit. It used MMC throughout the development, with internal service modules and the pipe spools manufactured at its Bradford offsite manufacturing facility.
efficiency by delivering fully assembled components to site, but also enables the hospitals we work on to remain fully operational throughout the build.
Challenges of hospital construction Healthcare construction has always presented a unique set of challenges, and these have only been exacerbated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of people on waiting lists for hospital treatment up from 2.5 million in 2010 to over 7 million in 2023.2
This is
why it is vital that hospital repairs and developments are delivered efficiently, safely, and without complication, to ensure that the public can continue to access essential medical care. MMC can be a vital tool in ensuring that this happens, with offsite manufacturing delivering savings of between 10 and 50%
on construction time, meaning projects are delivered more quickly.3 Careful construction planning and
logistics are also essential to ensuring minimal disruption to live healthcare facilities. To ensure the safety of patients and hospital staff, construction teams must be rigorously trained and adhere to precise protocols, such as securely isolating dangerous working areas, and diligently decontaminating materials. Then, of course, there’s the inherent challenge of working with older structures. From replacing outdated materials such as RAAC, and incorporating asbestos surveys into project timelines when carrying out refurbishment projects, to ensuring that risk assessments have been completed when integrating new systems into existing buildings, there are many complex facets to consider. This requires close
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