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Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust

Major Building and Service Improvements

Details on our current and completed major building and service improvements can be found below. Click on one of the blue drop-down boxes below to expand the project information. If you have any questions about our current projects, please contact our Communications Department

 

During the Summer of 2017, development began on a new £12 million two-storey assessment unit. Located adjacent to A&E; the new build will have a link into the existing hospital via a 1st floor bridge.  This will have a big impact on how we care for our patients most in need of emergency care. The assessment unit will allow for patients who need an emergency assessment in order to calculate the appropriate method of treatment. This method of care will alleviate pressure from our busy A&E department and thus reduce waiting times.

Much of the unit is currently being constructed off site. This further helps with reducing disruption to the busy area outside A&E and allows for patients and visitors to move around the area safely without disruption. 

Spread over 2 floors, the building will be serviced by 2 bed lifts and 3 staircases.

The main electrical and heating systems will be run from the existing energy centre with new air conditioning systems installed within the new ward.  As part of helping reduce energy demands, this new unit will be highly energy efficient and has been designed with sustainability as a main focus.

Update (25/10/2017): 

Work on NGH’s new 60 bedded assessment unit is progressing well and plans are now being made for the key modules for the building to be craned into place. This work will begin on 13th November and involve some essential diversion of traffic around the site until mid-December to enable the crane and lorry deliveries to operate safely.

There will be no access to the main reception and A&E area of hospital site from Cliftonville whilst the work is underway, other than for escorted blue light vehicles. In order to gain drop-off access to A&E vehicles will have to follow the diversion route and enter the site from Cliftonville Road.

A printable version of the map is available here.

 

Update (30/11/2017):

Modules are currently being lifted onto the site by crane and construction workers are working on the structure. Essential diversions will remain in place until mid-december. 

 

Update (09/12/2017):

In her latest vlog, deputy chief executive & chief operating officer Deborah Needham gives a progress report including details of how #TeamNGH employees can help name the new building and wards.

 

 

Update (11/12/2017):

The road entrance off Cliftonville has reopened. This will bring the entrance back to how it was prior to the current closure, i.e. Ambulances only to the front of the main reception and A&E. Another closure will take place in late January, details will follow soon.

 

Update (09/01/2018):

Continuing progress is being made on NGH’s new 60 bedded assessment unit. Key modules were put in place during December by crane, this phase is now complete.

A further road-closure will be required on 22nd January; this will involve some essential diversion of traffic around the site until 12th February, to enable cladding and roof coverings to be fitted along with essential work to the bridge that will link the assessment unit to the hospital. In order to complete these tasks, a 3 metre clear working access area will be required for construction workers.

There will be no access to the main reception and A&E area of hospital site from Cliftonville whilst the work is underway, other than for escorted blue light vehicles. In order to gain drop-off access to A&E vehicles will have to follow the diversion route and enter the site from Cliftonville Road.

A printable version of the diversion map is available here.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

 

 

 

Update (02/02/2018):

Before Christmas, we asked our staff for suggestions on what our new emergency assessment unit and wards should be called. We’re delighted to share the results with you now. The new building will be called The Nye Bevan Building in honour of the architect of the NHS who 70 years ago established the British system of a health service funded from general taxation and free at the point of use. The two wards in the building will be named:

The Esther White Ward, in honour of our first matron, who worked at the Infirmary at George Row in 1743 until her death in 1751. 

The Walter Tull Ward in honour of the Northampton Town Football Club player and war hero, the second black professional football player in British history and first British Army officer of black heritage.

 

Update (07/02/2018): 

Further progress has been made with our new emergency assessment hub - in her latest vlog, deputy chief exececutive & chief operating officer Deborah Needham updates us with structural developments and anticipated completion dates.

 

Update (26/03/2018):

In her latest vlog, deputy chief executive & chief operating officer Deborah Needham gives an update on colours, upcoming vacancies for Acute Physicians and bed capacity and strategy at Northampton General Hospital.

 

 

Update (17/04/2018):

Below you are able to see the modules being lowered onto the site of the new Nye Bevan Unit, which took place in December 2017. The timelapse consists of footage taken over the Winter months of 2017.

 

 

Update (20/07/2018):

Take a look inside our new Nye Bevan Emergency Assessment Unit, as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive, Deborah Needham provides a guided tour of the new Walter Tull Ward. Video originally live streamed via Facebook Live.

 

 

Update (07/08/2018)

Take a look inside our new Nye Bevan Emergency Assessment Unit, as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive, Deborah Needham provides a guided tour of the new Walter Tull Ward. Video originally live streamed via Facebook Live.

 

 

Technical Information:

Design & Construction

  • The new wards are spread over nearly 3000 m2 and comprises of 60 beds and a 6 bed assessment bay.
  • To assist with the speed of construction and deliver this facility in less than 12 months, a modular system design has been adopted which are currently being manufactured offsite.
  • The new wards are spread over nearly 3000m2 and use the DoH ProCure 21+ standard room layouts. 
  • The building will be founded on 95 continuous flight auger piles ranging from approximately 20-25m deep.
  • The piles will take approximately 1500 tons of concrete to form.

 

Fire Safety

  • The building will be clad in a composite board similar to other buildings that can be found on the estate.  As you would expect, we have carried out a detailed review of the cladding and it satisfies the statutory fire requirements.  In addition, we have adopted water misting systems to the undercroft car park and the new ward area to provide further resilience and protection for any potential fire incidents.   

 

Sustainability

  • The unit will comply with the Building Research Establishment leading sustainability assessment called BREEAM, where we will achieve a rating of Very Good.

 

Time-lapse of progress made on the 60-bed emergency assessment unit

 

 

Virtual model tour of the 60-bed emergency assessment unit

 

We are currently converting a large Victorian villa adjacent to Accident & Emergency to accommodate our new urgent care treatment centre. Patients will still attend A&E for assessment; however those who would be more appropriately seen by a GP will be directed to the new facilities thus relieving pressures on our very busy A&E department.

The location of Springfield close to our emergency department and assessment unit will ensure that patients in need of primary care services can receive these in the most appropriate setting.

The existing building has grade ii listed building protection in the Italianate style so the internal adaptions are sensitive to the period features of this building. The new urgent care centre will comprise three examination rooms with reception, waiting rooms and associated accommodation all on the ground floor. Automatic entrance doors, independent access WCs provide good access for the disabled and for pushchair access.

Works have now commenced following listed building planning consent with a completion anticipated around the end of November.

NB: The Springfield urgent care treatment centre is not a GP surgery that can be openly accessed by the public, patients can access the facility only when referred by A&E.

 

+ Springfield UCTC Ground Floor Plan

 

Springfield-Building

 

Update (30/11/2017): The Springfield development is now coming to a completion, the treatment centre officialy opened on Wednesday 29th November 2017 and saw it's first patient referred to the centre at 4:30pm. 

 

 

 

Currently, we only have one permanent internal MRI scanner onsite with a further MRI scanner in an external mobile adjacent to the Southern Entrance.

A second permanent MRI unit is being constructed to the south of the Hospital linked to the existing MRI Suite. This unit will provide two internal permanent MRIs thus providing flexibility of use and a far more pleasant patient experience when compared with the external mobile MRI scanner. The addition of this scanner will reduce patient waiting times and also reduce reliance on the mobile scanning unit. Once completed, patients can expect to be primarily treated with one of our permanent MRI unit.

The second unit is a steel frame construction with piled foundations and profiled metal cladding to match the existing.

Due to the large magnetic fields generated by the MRI the scanning room has both steel shielding and a copper radio frequency cage to provide protection and to prevent rogue imaging caused by large metal objects such as lorries outside. 

Due to the very tight site and location, this contract has faced a few challenges but the completion date of around the end of the year is still our target. 

 

Technical Information

The new magnet will be a conventional type magnet with a wider 70cm bore diameter. This will be one of Philips Medical Systems Ingenia 1.5T scanners.

 

Magnet weight

3060 kg

Open bore diameter

70 cm

Maximum FOV

55 cm

Typical homogeneity at 45 cm DSV

≤ 1.1 ppm

HeliumSave technology (Zero boil-off)

Yes

Cryogen boil-off rate under regular scanning conditions

0 l/hr

 

Update (30/11/2017): The structure for the new MRI is now almost complete, we remain on target with the opening of the MRI2 service. 

 

Update (10/12/2017): The MRI unit is now complete and open to the public, it's first patients were seen during the early half of December 2017.

MRI-2

 

 MRI2HC781341-IMS-en_AA

This spring and summer there will be building works across Paddington and Disney wards. These works will include:

  • New call bell system
  • New medical gases
  • New lighting and fire alarm systems
  • Reconfiguration of ward offices on Paddington and Disney
  • Reconfiguration of Disney treatment room
  • Removal of a partition wall in Disney ward to create a flexible 2 bedded room or larger single room.
  • New access doors to Paddington bays
  • Mood lighting (Funded by charity)

 

The work will be undertaken in the following phases to ensure it is completed as quickly and safely as possible. There is a need to reduce capacity for periods of time as indicated below. If we do not close these areas down in phases it would mean the works would take a lot longer to complete, be more costly, increase the risk of infection risk and be generally disruptive. Services, including PAU, will continue, but will be accommodated in different areas as the work progresses. Seasonal variation in our activity will assist in us managing activity during this period. 

 

Key information

PHASE

TIMESCALE

Impact on ward

PHASE 3

PADDINGTON BAYS

(pink area on the map)

12 weeks

16th April – 4th June 2018

Paddington bed base will be reduced by 13 beds.

Access to Paddington via Disney entrance ONLY.

Local plans in place to manage reduction in beds via managing elective and PAU activity differently.

Medical Day Case (MDC) activity (usually based on Paddington) will be managed via PAU. PAU will be open 24/7.

PHASE 4a

DISNEY WARD

(blue area on the map)

 

6 weeks

6th June – 29th July   

Disney ward (19 beds) in its entirety will be closed

Elective activity will move to MDC area (on Paddington ward)

Oncology inpatients will move to bay A on Paddington

MDC activity will be managed through PAU

PAU will be open 24/7

Phase 4b

Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU)

3 weeks

30th July – 18th August

PAU will move to bays A&B on Paddington

map
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