Challenge:

The design and build of a five storey health centre close to a large shopping centre complex, housing six GP practices and a local authority community services facility.

The original Bransholme Health Centre was built more than 40 years ago and had become substandard, too small for the demand of the population and with no potential for remodelling. A new fit for purpose development was planned to ensure health and community services were readily accessible to the growing practice population.

Development:

The site for the new health centre was a local authority car park next to the existing health centre, which meant the end users were able to stay situated and operational. An experienced team was selected to work on the project, who had all worked on previous Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) schemes, most notably Wilberforce Health Centre.

The team worked collaboratively with stakeholders, including the direct client Citycare, the end user client at the NHS and the management team at the neighbouring shopping centre. Sewell Facilities Management was involved from the initial design team meetings with the client, providing invaluable advice around functional design, best lifecycle products and maintenance programmes. Recommendations included Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS); permeable paving to the car park to assist maintenance and marmoleum floor finishes.

Locally sourced contractors with proven record of competency were chosen from the company’s pre-approved supply chain database, which assisted with continuity of performance, communications, a higher standard of quality and a greater team work ethic.

The team also insisted that supervisors carrying out the work were present at pre-start, as well as senior management, to ensure clear expectations and messages where communicated.

Some programme considerations were made to lessen the impact of the development on the local community. This included the use of tower crane to enable the site team to deal with deliveries swiftly and a delivery programmes, to limit impact to the high traffic area. In regards to the sequencing of the construction, the team programmed the construction of the substation as early as possible, to achieve permanent power to the site as soon as practical.

The project encountered additional risks because of the location of the new building, at the heart of a busy shopping complex. This were negated by early engagement with the shopping centre and the local bus company. Sewell introduced a one way traffic system, which ensured the traffic was minimally affected and maintained a good flow on a very busy route.

Environmental impacts were greatly reduced in the planning of the work by adopting a tower crane and specialist loading platforms with planned deliveries. By adopting the tower crane for all the lifting operations (which was virtually silent when operational), it reduced the noise impact on surrounding properties.

Delivery:

All staff were made aware at induction and throughout that health and safety was the responsibility of everyone and they had to contribute and play their part. The promotion of an excellent health and safety culture, including the promotion of an open and honest policy of reporting near misses, ensured hazards were spotted early, allowing easier prevention. There was also a ‘Don’t Walk By’ policy, weekly health and safety huddles with site staff ensuing clear communication to teams on the ground.

The project team obsessed on a clean and tidy site, with materials stored correctly and housekeeping being the responsibility of each contractor. An immaculate site reflected in the quality of the workmanship. To achieve construction excellence, a robust sign off procedure was put in place for contractors to complete snagging to clear timescales with photographic evidence providing confirmation once complete. The photos were also used to highlight good and bad practices then and for future use.

Sewell FM’s engineers and the centre’s building manager visited throughout the construction to understand the infrastructure of the building, particularly the mechanical and electrical services.

12 weeks prior to the project being completed, ‘countdown to completion’ meetings were established with all key stakeholders to ensure the building moved from the construction phase to an
operational health centre seamlessly. Training with tenants was jointly coordinated by Sewell Construction and Sewell FM, covering items such as:

• Key fob procedures
• Working patterns and alarm time
• Heating and cooling systems
• Health and safety
• Enquiry logging with the local helpdesk

The meetings also provided an opportunity for tenants to meet the local helpdesk team, their building manager and mobile maintenance technicians.

Community Engagement:

Early engagement with the community centre members enabled Sewell Construction and Sewell FM to establish strong public relations. The centre was decorated externally and the roof was repaired free of charge.The team utilised the Methodist church’s land for site set up and as a thank you the team constructed a much needed 18 space car park for the church. Site visits with end users, local residents and nearby schools where coordinated throughout the construction.

Results:

A five story health centre close to a large shopping centre complex, housing six GP practices and a local authority community services facility was delivered:

• On time
• On budget
• With zero defects
• With zero accidents

The scheme also achieved:

• Two Gold Considerate Constructor Awards, rating it in the top 1% nationally
• A BREEAM Excellent score (a government specified environmental assessment method)
• 97% recyling rate
• 20 apprenticeship opportunities

Sewell Facilities Management now maintains this building under a 25-year concession to Citycare.