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Temporary hospital at UCLan's Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre
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Temporary hospital at UCLan's Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre
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Temporary hospital at UCLan's Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre
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Temporary hospital at UCLan's Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre
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Temporary hospital at UCLan's Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre
Urbanisation
NHS Nightingale hospitals: COVID-19
In the fight against the coronavirus pandemic we saw the construction industry unite like never before. As the NHS faced a hospital bed shortage, new facilities were urgently needed to make sure every COVID-19 patient could be cared for if the cases continued to rise.
In response, our Building Services colleagues, working with Integrated Healthcare Partnership, were called upon to support the fight and deliver 553 beds in Preston and Deeside.
Key details
Surge hospitals
- Preston, Lancashire
- Deeside, North Wales
Number of beds provided
553
Client
IHP (JV between VINCI Construction UK and Sir Robert McAlpine)
Services provided
- Technical building services advice and design
- Medical gas design and Authorised Person (AP)
Our solution
The ability to mobilise at speed has been crucial in these projects. The day after receiving the call we were on site at Manchester Nightingale for a de-brief. By day two—in a team made up of the Army, the NHS, the contractor and consultants—we were visiting sites across Lancashire to assess the most suitable to convert. Later on that same day we were called about the second site – already identified in North Wales.
Both sites were existing leisure centre facilities—requiring conversion of the main sports hall at both plus a defrosted ice rink and skate park for the North Wales surge hospital. Our team provided technical building services advice and design as well as specialist medical gas design and Authorised Person (AP) across both sites. The conversion required navigating a number of complex challenges—with changes happening by the hour. Co-located on site, we were able to work together with the full delivery team to provide the design solution within that same hour. A collaborative approach and knowledge sharing across the industry was crucial to fast track the schemes.
Partway through the conversion in North Wales, due to our deep expertise in medical gas systems we were asked to design and act as the medical gas Authorised Person (AP) at a third hospital in Bangor.
Result
Both sites were successfully converted within the allocated timescale (two weeks for Preston and three for Deeside), providing 553 beds to house COVID-19 patients and ease the pressure on the NHS hospitals.
Supporting the NHS... A video diary
Steve Ogden, Senior Director, recorded his experience as he shared his insight and expertise to deliver two surge hospitals in three weeks.
We’re proud to have worked in collaboration with the Army, the NHS, consultancies and contractors to deliver these urgently needed hospital facilities. These schemes would usually take a minimum of six months; together we achieved it in less than three weeks. Sharing of knowledge has been first class and it has enabled truly great things.
Steve Ogden
Senior Director
Nightingale Hospital Project Manager
Take a look
Project statistics
553
beds
3
weeks
2
locations
1
multi-disciplinary team
Project timeline
Day 1
Call received
Day 2
Team debrief at Manchester Nightingale
Days 3–6
Site visits across Lancashire. Call received about project in North Wales (Deeside)
Days 6–27
Deeside site project delivery
Day 9
Lancashire site identified (Preston)
Day 14–25
Preston site project delivery
Day 25
Preston surge hospital live
Day 27
Deeside surge hospital live
