Darwin Group® delivers new healthcare facility to James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Shropshire-based healthcare estates specialist, Darwin Group, delivered and installed a hireable, On-Demand® Healthcare Facility for an Orthopaedic Outpatient Centre at The James Paget University Hospital in Norfolk.

The Trust needed a same-day emergency care (SDEC) unit to bolster its urgent and emergency care offering. To provide the best patient flow through the current hospital building, the optimal location for the SDEC was next to the hospital’s emergency department (ED). The space neighbouring the ED was being used to house the Trust’s orthopaedic outpatient services.

The Trust decided to move its existing orthopaedic services to a new facility, which neighbours its Orthopaedic Centre, a permanent building that Darwin Group also delivered and installed earlier this year. The co-location of the two buildings demonstrates how a Darwin Group hire building can be successfully integrated and operate within an NHS Trust’s existing permanent estate.

The Trust opted for an On-Demand solution from Darwin Group because it wanted the flexibility and speed of a hireable facility. Instead of investing in another permanent construction that would lead to future estate issues, this facility was delivered at pace.

The completed building took 16 working weeks to deliver. Eight weeks were spent at a Darwin Group site in York, where the building was assembled and first and second fix works were undertaken. A further eight-week onsite period followed, during which the modules were delivered, installed, and made fully watertight at James Paget Hospital.

The doors opened for the first time on Thursday, 22 May with the first patients attending appointments the next day.

Nick Dawe, managing director for Darwin Group, said: “We are extremely honoured to have supported the Trust in ensuring patients receive the highest quality care by co-locating its orthopaedic facilities. In doing so, we have provided a solution allowing the current space inside the hospital to be refurbished into an SDEC unit.

“The Trust’s approach of seamlessly integrating both permanent and On-Demand solutions from Darwin Group demonstrates healthcare estate flexibility and a commitment to future resilience. On-Demand healthcare facilities are solutions fit for modern medicine, provide relief to changing needs, and support future adaptability as requirements evolve.”

Shane Gordon, chief executive for James Paget University Hospital, added: “I'm delighted to be here today at the opening of this phenomenal new facility serving the patients at the James Paget Hospital and our communities. It provides much-needed capacity for orthopaedic outpatient activity and is an excellent clinical environment for the hundreds of patients that will be seen here each week.

“I have experience with these rapid construction projects in the NHS, and I'm delighted with the incredible pace at which this has been delivered, starting in February and opening in May.”

Charlotte Dillaway, chief operating officer for James Paget University Hospital, also added: “The completion of the new centre means that, for the first time, the James Paget has brand new orthopaedic facilities, including a hi-tech operating theatres building and a modern ward with en-suite single rooms, which are all located next to each other, for the benefit of our patients.

“Its creation also frees up space in the main hospital building, which we will now use to develop our ‘same day emergency care’ services, helping us see patients arriving at our Emergency Department more quickly and preventing unnecessary admissions, reducing pressure on our bed capacity.”

Jo Segasby, group delivery officer and deputy chief executive of the newly formed Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group, said: “I think patients will have a fabulous experience when they enter this new building. I think we will see the benefits to patients in two ways. Orthopaedic patients will go into a purpose-built environment, which also releases space in the current hospital, for some of our emergency care service developments. By winter, we'll have an assigned emergency care unit, which means patients will be able to be assessed and then hopefully discharged from the hospital without requiring hospital admission.

“Thinking about the new hospital going forward, having something adaptable is helpful because we will be redesigning the site.”

To find out more about Darwin Group visit the website: darwingroup.co.uk and follow the healthcare specialists on LinkedIn.