Professional team behind Harrogate’s emergency hospital draws on first-rate healthcare experience
Hemel Hempstead, 6 April 2020 - The professional team delivering the emergency Nightingale Hospital at Harrogate Hospital has been announced. The new circa-500-bed facility, part of the Government’s response to the covid-19 pandemic, involves converting Harrogate Convention Centre to accommodate the level three critical care beds in the existing Convention Centre's halls for the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. BAM Construction, ranked independently as Yorkshire’s largest contractor, is appointed as the main design and build contractor under the Government’s ProCure 22 framework for England, with the assistance of BAM Design, appointed to deliver structural engineering, and BAM’s specialist services engineering business.
Lead architect is BDP, which has worked on the emergency facility at the Excel Centre, while Silcock Leedham will provide services engineering, with Arcadis LLP providing project management and quantity surveying services.
Paul Cleminson, Pre-Construction Director for BAM Construction in the North East, said:
‘We have mobilised immediately with a team which is working 24 hours in shifts around the clock, following Government guidance about safe working and delivering these emergency facilities to assist the effort to support our NHS. We’re very proud to be involved. I’m delighted to say we have first rate partners, and that our extensive and recent experience of healthcare projects in the north of England will serve us well, having worked several times with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust over the years. Over our distinguished history of service to the UK, BAM has probably built more healthcare schemes than anybody: in excess of 400. We even built emergency hospitals during both World Wars. So we feel a sense of poignancy to be doing this now. I think it also shows what a fantastic tool the P22 route has proven to be for major healthcare schemes that it can adapt to deliver so quickly in such situations.’
BAM and its team are converting eight halls to create suitable partitions, flooring, and the specialist mechanical and electrical zones and installations that are so essential. The team is working 24/7 in shift patterns and working closely with medical staff and the Army. Following the completion of works, BAM’s facilities management business will help to maintain the facility to provide support and continuity.
BAM expects to have the hospital available for use by next weekend. All construction will have taken no longer than 14 days.
Elsewhere BAM teams are on site at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust providing the NHS with critical construction works for new and upgraded facilities. At Worcester BAM is delivering a major ward refurbishment project, the last phase of 23 beds is due to complete in May. In addition we are also providing a new oxygen cylinder compound with completion to coincide with the opening of the final ward at the end of May. At Southampton BAM is providing a new 22 bed general intensive care unit which is due to complete in September.
BAM is also close to being engaged on two further emergency Nightingale hospitals for which we are already drawing on what we are learning at Harrogate.
Further information: Mark Slattery, Press and Media Manager, BAM Construct UK Ltd, 01442 238415.