Overview
Frank Rogers further developed their working relationship with Spire Healthcare with a contract award delivering key aesthetic, safety and compliance upgrades in a live hospital environment at Spire Methley Park Hospital in Leeds.
This included refurbishing 25 existing bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms, the nursing station, the main entrance lobby and reception, roofing works, site wide fire door replacements and more, involving a site presence of nearly 22 months.
Scope Of Works
Our initial scope of these works was to completely strip out and refurbish 25no bedrooms and ensuites comprising of full M+E and medical gas upgrades, ceilings, doors, compliant shower areas and fit out and finishes packages.
All works had to be HTM compliant and phased as the hospital remained live throughout the whole process. Community we replaced ceilings, floors, doors, wall protection and full decorations and fit out including a bespoke nurse base station.
We had to complete medical gas infrastructure works installing 2no AVSUs and aid call systems in phases, with the highest levels of programming planning and health and safety coordination.
The successful completion of this works enabled us to secure many other large packages of work on site including loft level access, walkways and fire stopping, full reception and patient toilet refurbishments and fit out, roof replacement, access and demarcation works and a frill replacement of site wide doors including access control, automation and IT systems.
Safe Systems Of Works
Working in a live hospital environment meant the team had to be aware of patients, visitors, and staff within the hospital whilst work was taking place. Within the pre-construction phase, we developed a detailed programme ensuring precise material delivery timescales, avoiding unsafe build-up and congestion across a restricted live hospital access road and associated car parking area.
All works had to fully comply with HTM guidance, and we also had to ensure that any noise, dust, material and operatives’ movement did not impact the hospital’s ability to function.
This was managed by meeting with the hospital’s engineering services twice daily to review the plan for each day and amend anything necessary. This ensured that Frank Rogers or the hospital recorded no lost time during project execution. Dust and noise suppression and segregation methods were key to delivering this project.
Covid restrictions played a large part during the works, and again, this was managed with twice weekly rapid lateral flow tests being carried out in our site offices. No one was allowed onto site without a negative test, including any visitors.
The cleaning regime that we implemented ensured that there was constant cleaning of all areas leading from site offices to the workface. This was communicated to all hospital staff and workforce and strictly monitored constantly.
Working within an aged building like this had different challenges, where the services and building fabric may have deteriorated, or where a lack of information could cause delay and additional cost to the project. This risk was managed through looking forward planning works and survey areas in advance of the works.
Compliance With Fire Safety Regulations
Our in-house Fire Stopping Division identified and installed specialist materials and measures to be installed as part of the refurbishment that would slow the spread of fire throughout the hospital structure if this were ever to occur. This included cavity barriers, fire curtains, fire penetrations, fire doors and more, which we are a FIRAS-certified installation contractor for.
The Frank Rogers team also stripped out the old fire alarm system and installed a new one, including all new wiring throughout the hospital. This makes the hospital safer for patients, visitors and staff but also ensures it complies with current fire and safety regulations.
Customer Satisfaction & Testimony
Spire Methley’s Engineering and Estates Manager, Chris Smith, said:
“I had the pleasure of working with Frank Rogers’ construction team, led by site manager Amir Rowaichi. Amir managed the programme with exceptional detail and clarity and demonstrated confidence in his project plan and the ability of the team very quickly and to the total satisfaction of the hospital’s senior management team.
It has been a pleasure to work with Frank Rogers and their staff. The professionalism and integrity have been outstanding and very welcome. I am happy to say this, having worked with other construction companies on various projects, many of whom pale in comparison.”