Above-ground construction work has begun on the new ‘state-of-the art’ pathology laboratory at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s St James’ Hospital in Leeds, which is set to serve patients across West Yorkshire and Harrogate.
Footage captured by the Trust’s time-lapse camera shows significant progress as the building is brought to above-ground level for the first time since BAM Construction commenced on-site works in April. The new facility will become part of the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Pathology Network, formed through the collaboration of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), and will support the delivery of pathology services across the region. As well as supporting improvements in diagnosis for people across West Yorkshire and Harrogate, it will help meet growing regional demand for specialist treatment and care, while providing development opportunities for staff.
The installation of both the staircase and lift shafts is nearing completion, and has involved the off-site casting, delivery, and installation, of 506 tonnes of concrete units using a mobile crane. With much of the pre-fabrication happening off site, BAM Construction had been able to maximise efficiencies in its programme delivery and reduce waste, supporting the Trust’s sustainability and Net Zero carbon agenda.
Andrew Smithson, Project manager at BAM Construction - North East, said: “We’re really pleased with the progress we’re making so far on a facility that will bring huge benefits to the region. BAM is fully committed to playing its part in creating sustainable and environmentally-friendly developments, and the steps we have taken to ensure this is reflected in this project will also help contribute towards Leeds Teaching Hospitals’ Net Zero carbon goals.”
The new facility is set to be completed by late summer, and to become operational in the autumn. It is part of the Trust’s wider health improvement plan which includes the development of a new adults’ hospital, a new home for Leeds Children’s Hospital, and the UK’s largest single-site maternity centre – all brought together in one building on the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) site. Currently, the Trust’s pathology services are provided from outdated facilities in the Old Medical School at the LGI, as well as some of those delivered from St James’s Hospital.
The new building will bring many of these services together, and the vacated Old Medical School will form part of a plan to use surplus LGI estate to develop an ‘innovation village’, expected to deliver up to 3,000 new jobs and £11.2 bn in net present value.
