Morgan Sindall Construction’s Southern Home Counties Business has recently completed work at Southlands Hospital’s new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) in Shoreham-by-Sea, with phase two of the project handed over.
The facility, which initially opened in October 2023, will now be able to deliver a wider range of vital healthcare services in the heart of the local community. Procured via SCAPE, one of the UK’s leading procurement specialists, on behalf of the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, the work involved the strip-out and demolition of a previous structure, with the new facility housing four s ultrasound rooms, two dedicated echo treatment rooms, two lung function testing rooms, and a specialised gynaecological treatment area. An existing X-ray area was also reconfigured.
Complementing these clinical spaces, the CDC incorporates ancillary facilities such as waiting areas, cleaning stations, toilets, a welcoming reception area, office spaces, and medical storage facilities.
The new facility is part of the government’s scheme to deliver more community-based facilities. Statistics show patients have already benefited from over 7 million tests, checks and scans via CDC funding across England. Since the facility opened, over 60,000 patients have already been seen at Southlands CDC.
As part of Morgan Sindall’s commitment to social value generation and ‘upskilling the next generation of construction professionals’, its team supported two local T-Level students during the construction activity. The team also arranged several trips for students from nearby Northbrook College to visit the project at various times throughout the development.
Additionally, the contractors supported a work starter from the local area by employing them as an operative on site. To assist the team’s physical wellbeing, several health sessions were arranged to check on cholesterol, prostate cancer, thyroid testing and blood pressure.
Guy Hannell, area director for Morgan Sindall in the Southern Home Counties, said: “Having this state-of-the-art facility on their doorstep provides the people living and working in Shoreham with a high-quality diagnostic service that will help to better assess those in critical need, while reducing waiting times. The collaborative, innovative relationship that we’ve developed with University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and SCAPE has been central to this project’s success. In addition, at Morgan Sindall we’ve delivered numerous CDCs around the country, and have thus been able to leverage this expertise and experience on this project.”
