A £20 million 32-bed short-stay ward for Northwick Park Hospital has been created above London’s busiest A&E Department by Modern Methods of Construction specialist, MTX, in what the company says was one of its most complex build programmes to date.
In all, 32 structural steel modules manufactured off site were used to construct the new ward on a steel deck installed on existing concrete stub columns that were part of the original A&E Department build. The challenging location – in the middle of the busy hospital site – required the use of one of Europe’s heaviest lifting tower cranes, around 40 metres high and with a ‘reach’ of 80 metres. Every component had to be lifted onto the construction deck, including 200 tonnes of steel and almost 2000 construction boards. Over the course of 150 days, the site team completed over 2000 lifts with zero safety incidents. MTX constructed additional site infrastructure including high strength concrete foundations and piling to support the tower crane.
MTX’s experienced team prides itself on delivering contracts with minimum disruption to medical services. At Northwick Park, this meant maintaining safe access to the A&E Department for both pedestrians and ambulances throughout the build.
The company built an ultra-strong crash deck above the A&E entrance to protect staff and visitors, and prioritised staff and contractor safety by building a pedestrian bridge over a busy road on site to enable continuous access to the build location.
Project lead, Ian Brook, explained: “There were a number of critical factors that had to be considered throughout the build – working on top of London’s busiest A&E department, interacting with the public and staff, and ensuring the large number of deliveries and vehicle movements did not impact on the ambulance routes and access to the clinical areas.”
Incorporating 32 short-stay beds and ancillary areas, the new unit is finished to a high standard. The programme included designing and installing mechanical modules pre-manufactured off site to control the ventilation and the environment of the wards, with a dedicated integrated plant facility provided as part of the M&E specification.
The new first floor construction links to the existing hospital buildings via a 20 metre-long suspended connecting corridor. Two more 10-metre bridges link to existing stairwells to provide access for staff and visitors.
Northwick Park Hospital, on the outskirts of Harrow, is managed by the London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust. The new short-stay ward is designed to enhance the quality of care provided to the hospital’s patients, and part of an NHS England initiative to meet the growing demands for general and acute beds across the country.
Trust Chief Executive Pippa Nightingale said: “We have one of country’s biggest and busiest A&Es, so this is a welcome and much-needed addition to our capacity.”
MTX MD, David Hartley explained: “We have worked with the Trust on previous projects, and we are immensely proud to deliver this new facility for it. Our team recognises that these new beds were urgently needed at Northwick Park, and we worked closely with the Trust to progress the build programme as swiftly and safely as possible.”
