HEALTH SECTOR NEWS
Women’s Centre infrastructure upgrade underway at OUH
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) is investing £8m in the air handling systems at the Women’s Centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
Six new air handling units
will serve the gynaecology theatres and recovery, the delivery suites, and the neonatal high and low dependency units, across two floors. Alongside them, there will be a new UPS system in the neonatal unit, and a section of the maternity roof is being replaced. Completion is forecast for summer 2027. The £5.36m main contract to
replace the air handling units was awarded to MTX Contracts Ltd, which is also delivering the new Surgical Elective Centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital. The capital investment is supported
by the government’s national Estates Safety Programme, with Public Dividend Capital awarded by the DHSC and allocated confirmed by NHS England. A further £437,500 from OUH’s capital programme
is funding the maternity roof replacement.
Each air handling unit will recover at least 75 per cent of the heat from the air it exhausts and has heating and cooling coils to temper the incoming air, high-grade filtration, and standby fans so that a single failure does not take a clinical area out of use. The new system will provide air change rates that meet current standards: 22 per hour in the operating theatres, 15 per hour in anaesthetic rooms and recovery, and 10 per hour in the delivery rooms and nursery. The critical care areas are given fully independent systems rather than sharing or using general building supply. The heat recovery is expected to reduce gas use and carbon emission.
An early scoping estimate put the potential saving in the region of 1,100 megawatt hours of gas, calculated for a wider scheme than the one now being delivered. The neonatal unit will also have an isolated power supply, which protects against electrical faults in areas where equipment is
connected directly to patients, and an uninterruptible power supply, which means that in the event of a mains failure critical equipment it does not lose power for even an instant. Lisa Hofen, chief estates and facilities officer, said: “The Women’s Centre is the oldest clinical building on the John Radcliffe Hospital site, and this work is essential to maintaining a safe, comfortable, and resilient environment for our patients, many of whom are in their first few hours of life. The project also supports the Trust’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and achieving Net Zero. “Most of the infrastructure being
upgraded is hidden from view, but its impact will be felt for decades, supporting the care of women and babies well into the future.”
Work completed on Bournemouth CAMHS environment
Work has completed on the Seastone Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) High Intensity Environment (HIE) for Dorset HealthCare. Designed by Medical
Architecture alongside Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust and built by Kier, the new building in Bournemouth takes advantage of its elevated woodland setting to create a safe, secure, and therapeutic environment for patients displaying
highly complex and challenging behaviours. Suitable for patients aged 12–18, the building includes eight inpatient beds, day spaces, a two-classroom school facility, treatment spaces, a tribunal room, and enhanced care facilities. A large central courtyard provides
a secure and accessible outdoor space. Day spaces, including a television room and lounge, are arranged around the courtyard to maximise views of the surrounding woodland. A large photovoltaic array will generate at least 53,000 kWh annually, and the building is on target to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. As one of the early projects within the NHS New Hospital Programme, the scheme has helped inform future projects. The new facility will enable Dorset HealthCare to provide specialist care closer to home and support
24 Health Estate Journal October 2026
networks, reducing waiting times for admission, supporting faster recovery, and lowering costs to the NHS, all within a healing environment that fully embraces its therapeutic setting. Matthew Bryant, chief executive
at Dorset HealthCare, said: “This facility represents a major step forward for mental health services in Dorset. It will enable us to care for young people with high intensity needs in a restorative environment close to friends and family, improving the chance of recovery.” Yvonne Ophaus, associate at Medical Architecture, said: “Responding to the site’s complex topography and the unit’s distinctive requirements, the building harnesses the calming qualities of its woodland setting to create a sanctuary among the trees, supporting the delivery of care for a vulnerable patient group.”
Transformation for Summerfield Primary Care Centre
A £480,000 investment is set to transform existing space at Summerfield Primary Care Centre (PCC) in Birmingham. The project will repurpose former dental space to support the delivery of respiratory and diabetes community services by Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The development will provide an extra 41,000 patient appointments each year, helping to meet rising local demand and increasing local capacity for community- based health care as part of the government’s Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. The project
supports the government’s ambition to deliver more care closer to home by expanding services in community settings. Summerfield PCC has been selected as one of the first 16 CHP NHS LIFT buildings included in wave one of the national Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme, helping to bring services closer to local communities and supporting the shift towards more preventative, joined up, and integrated models of care. Completion is anticipated in January 2027.
CHP is working in partnership with Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Birmingham, and Solihull Integrated Care Board, and BaS LIFTCo to deliver the project. James Weaver, regional
director – Midlands, Community Health Partnerships said: “CHP’s investment in Summerfield Primary Care Centre demonstrates how we are working with partners to deliver care closer to home and make better use of the NHS LIFT estate in line with the government’s Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This project will cement Summerfield’s position as a neighbourhood health centre and ensure it meets the needs of patients now and in the future.”
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