Challenge

Morrill Street Health Centre was a busy primary and community healthcare facility in East Hull. The building was very accessible for patients as the area, Holderness Road, was a ‘district centre’ attracting high footfall due to its retail offer. The health centre was constructed in the 1980s and, while it had benefited from some minor capital investment over recent years, it did not meet current standards for primary care facilities.

New and improved facilities were required to house two GP practices, alongside additional clinical spaces, teaching spaces and administrative working areas.

Sewell was appointed as principal contractor to build a separate, single storey, GP practice ‘annex’ on the available land next to the existing health centre and to reconfigure the existing health centre.

Development

The contract was open book accounting using NEC form. Using tried and tested products, Sewell ensured value for money and best lifecycle from the materials and products, such as wipe clean walls and thick vinyl to minimise wear and tear.

Using the business’ rigorous procurement criteria, subcontractors from our pre-approved supply chain database that already met the Government’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were invited to submit a competitive tender. Tenders were thoroughly scrutinised to guarantee the best team to carry out the works for the health centre. Fourteen local companies were used, minimising the carbon footprint of the project as travel was reduced.

Prior to commencing any works, we also entered into a residential party wall agreement, surveying nearby properties. Surveys also identified that services such as water and cables needed to be diverted ahead of the works to avoid residential disruption.

The site was located on a one-way street, with parking on either side creating tight access. To overcome potential congestion caused by site deliveries, we consulted with the council and utilised an open green area across the road from the health centre to use as a temporary car park. We created temporary cross over points to effectively manage pedestrian health and safety.

The campus was to remain operational throughout the construction therefore, close engagement with the staff and building users was essential. Consultation events for the local community and forums for staff were held during the design and planning stages of the new build.

Delivery

To achieve excellence from the supply chain Sewell inducted each and every operative onto site, carried out quality spot checks and site inspections throughout the works and held ‘tool box talks’ with the site teams. These engagement sessions enabled Sewell to reinforce the KPIs in relation to the project, its quality, efficiency and safety and gave operatives the multiple platforms to raise queries or suggest alternative ways of collaborating across trades to drive further performance improvements.

The site team remained in constant dialogue with the practices and local residents throughout the construction. Regular updates were distributed with the 24/7 helpdesk number should anyone wish to get in touch.  Dedicated parking was created for construction traffic and health centre visitors to avoid congestion and any potential health and safety issues. As the site was located at the heart of an operational campus and residential area, helical displacement piling was used to minimise noise, vibrations and waste.

As part of the soft landing protocols, users guides were given to all staff and caretakers, along with several tours of the facility ahead of handover to familiarise users with their new surroundings.

Results

The new annex building and the reconfigured health centre were delivered safely, on time and within budget.

The scheme achieved 97% local spend.