Skanska Innisfree has today been named preferred bidder on a 33-year PFI scheme to design, build, finance, and operate a major healthcare development in Walsall. This project will include a construction project worth around £170 million along with facilities management of the estate buildings for the life of the project.
Financial close for the scheme, which involves the redevelopment of the existing Manor Hospital site is anticipated at the end of September 2007. The client is Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust.
The redevelopment of Manor Hospital will include the extensive rejuvenation of the existing facilities to create a single unified hospital. The current, outdated buildings will be replaced; a new state-of-the-art Diagnostic and Treatment Centre will be created along with a new Women, Children and Young Peoples Centre linked to the existing Maternity Unit. A new Multi-Professional Education Centre will provide superb training facilities integrated within the mainstream hospital environment.
The new Diagnostic and Treatment Centre will be accessed from a new main entrance and will provide specialist and generic outpatient services, day case unit and operating theatres.
The new Women, Children and Young Peoples Centre will have its own dedicated entrance from the main hospital concourse and will provide integrated care for both inpatient and outpatient visitors with shared diagnostics and operating theatres in a secure environment intrinsically linked to the existing maternity unit.
The new hospital, which is less than one-mile from the town centre, has been designed to be a landmark for the community it serves with access for both pedestrians and vehicles being greatly improved. The majority of clinical services will be within one building, but with separation of emergency and elective departments, with clear wayfinding throughout.
Alan Gillman, Executive Vice President, Skanska Infrastructure Development said: “We are delighted to have been selected for this project and are looking forward to continuing working in partnership with the Trust on this inspiring project.”
Rob Shed, Managing Director of Skanska UK’s PFI/PPP Operating Unit, said: “We are very excited to have been named preferred bidder on this flagship hospital development for the Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust. Our team has worked through a number of changes with the Trust to produce a fantastic design solution for this scheme and I am immensely proud of what has been delivered thus far. These state-of-the-art new facilities will enable trust staff to deliver 21st century healthcare for the people of Walsall.”
Ben Reid, Chairman of Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “This long awaited development will modernise services on the Manor Hospital site, enabling excellent patient care to be provided in modern facilities for years to come”.
Sue James, Chief Executive of Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust, added: “This is an exciting time for the Manor Hospital and for the people of Walsall. Work behind the scenes has been underway for many years to enable the hospital Trust to get to a stage where we can appoint a preferred partner to design the hospital in detail, and I am delighted that we are now able to announce the beginning of an exciting new chapter in healthcare provision in Walsall.”
Throughout the phased construction period, all existing healthcare facilities will remain fully operational.
Key advance works will commence towards the end of 2006, main construction will begin early in 2007 with the completion of all new accommodation by the summer of 2010 and full completion of the scheme early in 2011.
Within the 40,000m2 of new accommodation, a modular ward block containing 136 beds will be provided, which will offer the local health community flexibility for their future needs. When complete, this unit will complement the existing retained estate, a further 8,000m2 of which is to be refurbished, to provide a total of 558 inpatient beds.
Skanska Infrastructure Development and Innisfree will both provide equity investment and will manage the Special Purpose Vehicle. The Architects for the scheme are Steffian Bradley Associates. The design and construction of the scheme will be undertaken by Skanska UK and continued through a 33-year Hard Facilities Management contract for its Hard FM Operating Unit, Skanska Rashleigh Weatherfoil.