A 2 storey facility, constructed to support the Trust’s requirements to expand the hospital’s current endoscopy department. This project formed part of a larger scheme to modernise the hospital, further improving the experience of patients, their families and staff.
The Requirements
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, wanted to rehouse their existing endoscopy department into a new two storey state of the art facility.
This project continued a 7-year relationship between the Trust and MTX, following a previous successful delivery of an A&E extension. The Trust collaborated with MTX once again, choosing MMC to support their need for a project with limited disruption and speed of delivery, to allow the hospital to continue vital operations throughout the works.
The Solution
Over two storeys of modern accommodation, MTX provided a standalone building situated at the front of the hospital on the main entrance and exit route. This new facility enables all endoscopies to take place in a fit for purpose, hi-tech environment.
On the ground floor MTX delivered the 4 endoscopy rooms, 6 bed male and female recoveries, prep rooms, assessment rooms, a discharge lounge, reception with large waiting area and all necessary ancillary. The first floor houses state of the art office facilities, allowing for flexible working and hot desking for all Trust staff, alongside the dedicated plantroom. Both levels benefit from fully concrete floors.
Internally the scheme has been finished in line with Trust corporate colours and externally, it has been clad in Euroclad and engineering brick plinth solution.
This new facility has allowed for fundamental refurbishment works to take place within the existing hospital, enabling further treatment space to be added.
Main Considerations
Working in a live hospital environment, the team had to plan, manage and implement logistics carefully around the blue light route and main hospital entrance. This was achieved through executing a meticulous traffic management plan and excellent communication with the emergency department staff, prior to works starting and throughout all project stages. This also included managing traffic throughout the module lift and acting quickly to halt works when emergency cases arrived, as the crane had to lift over the blue light route due to the site location.
The proposed site for the endoscopy facility included several trees that had to be removed. As part of the planning application, MTX have replanted all trees that were lost in other locations on the hospital site.
As this is a standalone facility, MTX had to provide utilities, including breaking into the HV ring main and installing a standalone generator to support the new endoscopy facility.
From initial engagement with the client’s project management team EXI Group, MTX successfully handed over the new facility within 18 months from conception to completion.
This was a low carbon design project, making use of air source heat pumps and will achieve BREEAM Very Good.
