News - Construction News

Work Completes on Urgent Treatment Centre



GF Tomlinson has completed works to build a new Urgent Treatment Centre at a Lincolnshire hospital.

The £2.4 million project, which was emergency funded and fast-tracked to help ease COVID-19 pressure, involved the construction of a single-storey extension at Lincoln County Hospital, expanding the facility’s existing accident and emergency department in order to create an Urgent Treatment Centre, including a new entrance to A&E.

Secured through Pagabo’s National Framework for Medium Works, which covers schemes valued between £1 million and £5 million in the Midlands – the project was completed over a period of 24 weeks following planning approval, with the official handover taking place at the end of April.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust submitted plans to City of Lincoln Council last year, after receiving a £7 million national funding boost from the Department of Health and Social Care. The investment is part of a £150 million capital funding programme to expand and upgrade 25 A&Es across the UK, to reduce overcrowding and improve infection prevention control in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hospital remained operational while the Urgent Treatment Centre was being built. Through further phased construction works, including additional spaces and facilities, it is now able to increase its capacity and services.

Further phased works across the department include a bigger resuscitation area with twice as many bays for emergency patients, a new paediatrics area with its own dedicated waiting room, and treatment cubicles and a sensory area for the youngest patients and their families.

Chris Flint, director at GF Tomlinson, said: “This was a vital project completed under Pagabo’s National Framework for Medium Works, to provide much-needed additional space at Lincoln County Hospital, in order to cope with the influx of patients requiring treatment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ensuring that we worked as quickly, efficiently and safely as possible on-site was our number one priority, given the challenges of working at an extremely busy hospital that remained fully operational whilst building works took place. We are delighted to have delivered this project within a very short space of time, to improve the services and capacity the hospital can offer patients.”

Emma Hesbrook, regional relationship manager for the Midlands at Pagabo, commented: “Due to the importance of the scheme, the Trust required a quick procurement route that also offered them full compliance. By procuring through our Medium Works Framework, they were able to appoint GF Tomlinson within days of making initial contact with Pagabo, which was hugely beneficial for them.

“I’d like to say a massive well done to the whole delivery team involved who have gone above and beyond to ensure that the project was delivered on time.”

Additional treatment rooms for mental health patients and an ambulance drop-off point and new bays were also created outside the front of A&E, with entrances directly into the resuscitation and major areas. The extra clinical space will ensure that the emergency department will be able to accept patients from ambulance crews with improved speed and safety.

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