Health Investment Plan Approved - Building Works Start

With all the approvals in place and the contract signed, the construction of the three facilities will begin during the next few weeks. The £335 million project includes a new 612-bed acute hospital on the Edith Cavell Hospital site run by the Foundation Trust. This will include an emergency care centre, a high-tech diagnostics unit, women and children’s unit, cancer unit, specialist rehabilitation unit, renal dialysis and a multi-disciplinary training centre. It will open in late 2010.

An artist impression of the atrium in the new woman and child unit

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership Trust’s new 102-bed mental health unit on the same site is due to open in late 2008. It will offer patients state-of-the-art purpose built accommodation with single en-suite bedrooms. It will include adult acute psychiatric wards, a psychiatric intensive care unit, older people's mental health unit and a specialist service for people with learning disabilities. The accommodation includes restaurant style dining facilities for patients, staff and visitors, a fitness and recreational centre and landscaped gardens.

The integrated care centre, run by Peterborough Primary Care Trust will be built on the site of the Fenland Wing at Peterborough District Hospital and will include 34 specialist rehabilitation beds, a pharmacy, outpatient diagnostic and treatment centre, general rehabilitation services and children’s care centre. It will open in 2009.

Progress Health commissioned Nightingale Associates as the lead architects for all three buildings and healthcare planner, RKW, has also been involved on the project. Multiplex Constructions (UK) has been commissioned to complete the construction of the project and Multiplex Facilities Management (UK) will be responsible for the management of the buildings as they are completed. Compass Group (Medirest) will be responsible for soft facilities management and Asteral will provide a Managed Equipment Service for all medical equipment for the lifetime of the contract.

The project will allow new patient services in modern facilities and will offer a ‘Whole Healthcare’ approach allowing moves in healthcare provision from acute hospital services to community care. It will also deliver better integration of mental health services.

The entrance to the new woman and child unit

St. Clair Armitage, Project Director, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have reached this stage of the project. The partner trusts and our colleagues within Progress Health have been committed to the project for many years. In that time we have undertaken an incredible amount of work and had to negotiate some significant hurdles to make sure the people of Greater Peterborough are provided with new healthcare facilities for the 21st Century.”

Nik Patten, Chief Executive of Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It is an incredible achievement to have finally received all the necessary approvals and to have signed contracts on the biggest healthcare project the city has ever seen. It has taken 14 years and three attempts to finally reach this stage, but we have done it, and the reward for the people of Greater Peterborough will be excellent patient services delivered in superb healthcare buildings.”

Mark Dooley, Director of Progress Health and Head of Macquarie Bank’s Social and Public Infrastructure team, said: “The Progress Health sponsors, Macquarie Bank and Multiplex, are delighted to have achieved financial completion on this innovative project that will deliver world class health facilities to the communities of Greater Peterborough.

James Tuckey, Chairman of Multiplex UK, said: “We are very pleased to be moving into the construction stage of these important projects and are committed to delivering the highest quality facilities that will have wide ranging benefits for the people of Peterborough and its surrounding areas.”

David Cook, Operations Director of Asteral, said: “This is the first time that a vendor independent managed equipment service has been integrated into a PFI hospital build scheme. This will provide not only first class buildings but also captures the latest technological developments to deliver advanced diagnostic and therapeutic equipment facilities to patients.”