HEALTH SECTOR NEWS
Kier joins Neighbourhood Health Forum
The Neighbourhood Health Forum has welcomed national contractor Kier as its latest member. The Neighbourhood Health Forum – a collective voice of private sector organisations in health infrastructure delivery – was formed in 2025 to offer a collective private sector voice to support government and the NHS in the delivery of a neighbourhood health service and the creation of new public- private-partnership (PPP) models in health. The Forum brings together thirteen private sector organisations, representing over £10bn of health infrastructure across 1,400 health buildings and community facilities. Healthcare is a core sector for Kier and, since January 2024, the contractor has delivered 49 healthcare projects for the NHS, totalling over £826m.
Chair of the Neighbourhood Health
Forum Sarah Beaumont-Smith said: “Our growing membership underlines the huge private sector interest in neighbourhood health delivery, and we welcome the huge experience
Shropshire hospital celebrates comprehensive solar system
The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) Shropshire has become the first NHS hospital to fully utilise all viable roof and car park space for solar generation. The multi technology system,
Kier will bring as our latest member. As discussions continue about the vital delivery of new neighbourhood health centres, our members stand ready to support the government in this important new chapter for the NHS.” Rebecca Garcia, alliance
& partnerships director at Kier Construction, said: “Our end-to-end offering from designing healthcare facilities through to building and maintaining them means we are well positioned to support PPP healthcare projects, including the structuring and delivery of sustainable funding
Landmark moment for new Dorset Emergency Department
Construction of the new Emergency Department (ED) and Critical Care Unit at Dorset County Hospital (DCH) has reached a major milestone. Funded by the New Hospital
Programme (NHP), the £100m building will provide two floors of clinical space and help transform the way the Trust provides emergency care. The new ED will allow DCH to
treat more patients and will include a dedicated area for children and young people, as well as space designed for people experiencing difficulties with their mental health.
The Critical Care Unit will expand from 11 to 16 beds with the potential to increase further in the future and it will also include a paediatric space. The building will be connected to the main hospital by a link corridor and the space freed up will be re-purposed to support same day emergency care. A topping out ceremony was
held by construction partner Tilbury Douglas to mark the building reaching its highest point, complete with rooftop helipad. The milestone was marked by the unveiling of the £2m helipad courtesy of the HELP Appeal. The new building is also being supported by Dorset County
Hospital Charity’s Emergency and Critical Care Appeal, which is raising £2.5m for enhanced facilities in the new building, including overnight accommodation for relatives and staff.
Matthew Bryant, chief executive
of Dorset County Hospital, said: “This new building is the biggest change in healthcare facilities in Dorchester for a generation. It will transform the way in which we are able to deliver care and will help us bring together expertise in physical and mental health, as well as integrate hospital and community-based services so that they can work together to provide emergency care.” Robert Bertram, chief executive
of the HELP Appeal, added: “Completing the construction of this state-of-the-art hospital helipad is a truly significant moment for Dorset and the whole region. “As the only rooftop hospital
helipad in the county, it will transform the way critically ill and injured patients receive emergency care. By enabling air ambulances to land directly at the hospital, precious minutes can be saved when every second counts, giving patients the very best chance of survival and recovery.”
solutions. We look forward to working with fellow members to realise the potential for UK neighbourhood health delivery.” Matt Griffiths, healthcare sector
director at Kier Construction, said: “Kier has a strong track record of delivering high-quality healthcare facilities for the NHS. By joining the Neighbourhood Health Forum, we can bring that expertise to help shape neighbourhood health services that improve access, experience, and outcomes for patients and communities.”
engineered and delivered by Cornwall based renewables specialist ZLC Energy, provides clean, reliable power to operating theatres, diagnostics, and inpatient wards day and night, supported by integrated battery storage and a bespoke energy management system. RJAH’s annual electricity demand, like most NHS hospitals, is high, typically 3.3–4GWh, driven by ~200 inpatient and critical care beds, 15 operating theatres, and full MRI/CT diagnostic suites. The new system offsets around
75 per cent of the hospital’s grid electricity use, generating 2.5– 3GWh of clean energy annually and delivering £750,000 in yearly savings. Carbon emissions are reduced by ~600 tonnes per year, comparable to the electricity use of 1,000+ UK homes. The fully integrated solar plus
storage system includes: n 3MW solar PV, deployed across every viable rooftop and carport structure on the live hospital estate.
n 650kWh battery storage, enabling stored solar to support clinical operations overnight.
n A bespoke energy management system (EMS) that balances generation, storage, and demand across theatres, wards and estates operations.
n Carport structures engineered for continuous public use, vehicle clearance and rapid installation in busy hospital parking areas.
The system was delivered over six years (2020–2026), maintaining programme continuity throughout the pandemic and working around clinical operations without disruption.
September 2026 Health Estate Journal 23
AdobeStock / kasto
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136
