Willmott Dixon Interiors has completed the renovation of a mental health rehabilitation unit in Warwick that will provide an improved patient experience and help keep vulnerable people safe from harm.
Willmott Dixon Interiors team at St Michael’s Hospital: Olivia Tame (Assistant Building Manager), Jason Cooper (Building Manager), Hussain Siddiqui (Trainee Site Manager), Nabeel Javed (Construction Manager) and Narissa Richardson (Project Surveyor).
The national fit-out and refurbishment specialist contractor has delivered the anti-ligature refurbishment of Ferndale Ward, a c.32,000 sq ft unit at St. Michael’s Hospital.
Works were carried out in a live hospital environment and included the installation of new windows and internal doors, and adaptations to power, data and access control services.
Improvements have also been made to lighting, ventilation grilles, radiator covers and sanitaryware, while flooring has also been cleaned and repaired. The building has been decorated throughout.
Willmott Dixon Interiors generated a social return on investment of more than £27,000 during the project lifecycle, through activities such as local careers fairs, while 99% of project waste was diverted from landfill.
The refurbishment of Ferndale Ward is the penultimate phase of a wider project to upgrade several inpatient wards and outpatient clinics at St. Michael’s Hospital, on behalf of Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust.
All phases were awarded via Procurement Hub Major Project Framework and delivered by a project team including Fulkers Bailey Russell as Quantity Surveyor and Design Buro as principal designer.
The full project will culminate in the refurbishment of the Larches Ward, which is due to complete in Q2 2024.
Nabeel Javed, Construction Manager at Willmott Dixon Interiors, said: “We are very pleased to have completed the specialist refurbishment of the Ferndale Ward, our fifth completed project at St. Michael’s Hospital. Our dedicated team has worked in close collaboration with staff at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust to deliver a modern health care environment and improved experience for patients and staff alike. We look forward to completing the final phase of the project early next year.”
Anti-ligature upgrade of facilities at Ferndale Ward at St Michaels hospital, Warwick
Sonya Gardiner, Chief Operating Officer at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, said: “It is critical that we provide safe environments for our patients. This is why we continue to invest in refurbishing our estates to provide safe and therapeutic environments that support patient recovery.”
Upgraded facilities at St Michael’s hospital.
Andrew Peck, client relationship manager at Procurement Hub said: “This is another great example of how Willmott Dixon Interiors and Procurement Hub working together can deliver for the public sector. The framework provides for vital flexibility for the customer to reap important benefits in this challenging environment.”
Read more about the project here.
Willmott Dixon Interiors is proud to have delivered the replacement of anti-ligature windows and doorsets to twelve wards at the Caludon Centre, the Mental Health Facility in Coventry, on behalf of Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust.
The Willmott Dixon Interiors Caludon Centre site team including Modassir Zaman, Nabeel Javed, Olivia Tame and Narissa Richardson.
The Trust provides a full range of expanding physical, mental health and learning disability services to children, young adults, adults and older adults at several sites across Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull.
The project, which was procured through the Procurement Hub Major Projects Framework, has delivered the upgrade of over 400 windows at the Caludon Centre.
Anti-ligature windows have been installed in acute intensive care wards and patient accessible areas and bedrooms, where they have been fitted with integral electronic blinds.
The new anti-ligature windows installed at the Caludon Centre in Coventry.
The products were supplied by Britpas and are constructed from robust thermally enhanced mild steel profiles, with stainless steel anti-ligature mesh specially secured in position. They have passed rigorous high security testing methods to ensure no patient can break in or out of a room, either by themselves or with weapons.
New windows provide natural light and ventilation which can be controlled by patients, and helps to maintain a safe, secure and anti-ligature environment to meet the requirements of the secure facility.
The success of the project owes much to the effectiveness of communication between the onsite team and ward manager, matrons and clinical staff. All works were carefully planned in advance to ensure minimal disruption and allow patients to reoccupy safe and clean spaces by agreed deadlines.
Find out more about the project here.
The image above features the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust along with the wider team that has been working on the project at St Michael’s Hospital in Warwick which includes Willmott Dixon Interiors, Design Buro, Decorer, Barrie Beards, Rigfix, Hillside and Kingsway.
We are also delivering phased anti-ligature refurbishment works for the Trust at St Michael’s Hospital in Warwick, with a project team that includes The Design Buro Ltd and Fulkers Bailey Russell.
Willmott Dixon Interiors has commenced work on a second refurbishment project at Montagu Hospital in Mexborough, Doncaster.
Our team are reconfiguring and refurbishing more than 9,000 sq ft of space within the hospital’s endoscopy ward and rotunda building on behalf of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The £4.3 million project will provide new staff and patient facilities, a discharge lounge and recovery ward, and new consultant and ancillary rooms. There will also be a new reception and waiting area, staff room and toilets.
Image above: Willmott Dixon Interiors site team at Montagu Hospital
The project has already received an excellent Considerate Constructors Scheme score of 42 out of 45 which helps drive positive change within the construction industry, ensuring high standards are met throughout the projects.
As part of our achievement, the project team have already delivered activities which help benefit the local community and enhance the local environment, these include:
- Monthly health talks on site, provided by the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust nursing team.
- Supporting the Daisy Meadows Community Garden which provides support for disabled gardening activities.
- The site team have recently taken part in the ‘Shaping Futures programme’ which aims to help local students to pursue a career in the construction industry.
Image above: Before photo of the endoscopy ward and rotunda building
The team are working in a live environment on a restricted and sensitive hospital campus. The relationship with the hospital staff at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is therefore incredibly important and communication is key. This ensures that disruption is kept to a minimum and that there is minimal impact on the wider community.
Find out more about the project here.
This current project follows the successful completion of the refurbishment and reconfiguration of the Montagu Hospital Community Diagnostic Centre, which was completed with a wider team which included P+HS as Architect and Principal Designer, WT Partnership as quantity Surveyor, CAD 21 as Services Engineer and Alan Johnston Partnership as Structural Engineer.
Image above: Completion of the Community Diagnostic Centre in Mexborough on behalf of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at Montagu Hospital.
Willmott Dixon Interiors are currently carrying out the refurbishment of more than 9,000 sq ft of space at Montagu Hospital in Mexborough, Doncaster. The project will deliver two new Endoscopy suites at Mexborough’s Montagu Hospital on behalf of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Our project team at Montagu hospital including Carrie Hallsworth, Richard Wilde, Stuart Dack, Chris Hall and Phil Green.
As part of the work we are doing, our project team worked with Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH) to organise a personalised health educational session covering prostate health for our site team and supply chain partners.
The health talk informed our people about the symptoms of prostate cancer, which can include an increased need to pee, straining whilst urinating or feeling that the bladder has not fully emptied. Whilst these symptoms should not be ignored, they can be caused by other health issues, such as an enlarged prostate. Our team were informed that if they experience these symptoms, they need to contact their GP for further investigation.
Stuart Dack, Site Build Manager for Willmott Dixon Interiors, said: “We are delighted to have been a part of this educational session and appreciate the time given by the clinical team at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals. The wellbeing of our workers is important to Willmott Dixon Interiors, and we look forward to participating in future sessions on men’s health and other topics.”
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals delivering the health awareness talk on prostate cancer.
Due to the success of the session, DBTH will be delivering further talks for our project team on men’s health awareness and have scheduled an additional talk to include testicular cancer and how to identify early symptoms.
Nicki Sherburn, Deputy Divisional Nurse for Surgery at DBTH, said: “The Trust takes great pride in helping not just our patients but also the people that work alongside our organisation. This is a great example of our clinical team going above and beyond their day-to-day roles to ensure our community can learn about crucial healthcare matters.”
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals delivering the health awareness talk on prostate cancer.
Michelle Corbet, Matron for Clinical Specialty Services, said: “Empowering our local community through health awareness sessions is important to us as we recognise that it makes a significant difference in helping people detect the early symptoms of cancer. With approximately 1 in 8 men being diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, it is essential that we actively engage with this high-risk population. I am extremely proud of the team on Rockingham ward for the work they have done to promote health and wellbeing. This is a fantastic example of collaborative working supporting such an important topic.”
Prostate cancer awareness boards at Montagu Hospital.
Marie Evers, Sister on the Rockingham Ward at DBTH, gave thanks to her colleagues for their help in organising and facilitating the session. Marie said: “Amanda Peck, Healthcare Assistant and Wellbeing Ambassador, has worked hard to boost prostate cancer awareness within the ward. Amanda spotted the perfect opportunity to further this awareness by initiating this session, which really engaged key members of the public who will directly benefit from this experience. We were also fortunate to have Tina Soar, Urology Nurse Specialist, provide her expertise in urology care and give her time to answer questions on prostate cancer following the session.”
The current work we are carrying out forms part of a significant scheme of improvements at Montagu Hospital, find out more about the refurbishment and reconfiguration of the Montagu Hospital Community Diagnostic Centre here.
Refurbishment and reconfiguration of the Montagu Hospital Community Diagnostic Centre
Willmott Dixon Interiors has completed the latest phase of a project to modernise a mental health care facility in Warwickshire.
Our project team has upgraded four mental health rehabilitation units at St. Michael’s Hospital on behalf of Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust.
The anti-ligature refurbishment of the Hazelwood, Rowan, Willowvale and Cedarwood wards will deliver an improved experience for NHS patients and keep vulnerable people safe from harm.
The image above features the Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust along with the wider team that has been working on the project at St Michael’s Hospital in Warwick which includes Willmott Dixon Interiors, Design Buro, Decorer, Barrie Beards, Rigfix, Hillside and Kingsway.
Works were carried out in a live hospital environment and consisted of the installation of new windows and internal doors to all wards and adaptations to power, data and access control services.
Improvements have been made to lighting, ventilation grilles, radiator covers and sanitaryware, while flooring has also been cleaned and repaired. All four buildings have been decorated throughout.
Image above: Anti-ligature works carried out at St Michael’s hospital in Warwick.
In addition, Willmott Dixon Interiors has presented NHS staff with new board games, jigsaw puzzles and a cheque for £1,000 which was raised by its site team during completion of the works.
Image above: Nabeel Javed presenting Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust with £1,000 cheque.
The refurbishment of the four units is the latest phase of a wider project, awarded via Procurement Hub Major Project Framework, to upgrade several inpatient wards and outpatient clinics at St. Michael’s Hospital.
Phase one saw the refurbishment of Rosewood Terrace, an inpatient mental health rehabilitation unit, in early 2022. Works will shortly commence at Ferndale Ward, which is scheduled to complete in August 2023, with the final phase of the project being the refurbishment of Larches Ward which is due to be handed over early next year.
All completed phases have been delivered by a project team that includes Fulkers Bailey Russell as Quantity Surveyor and Design Buro as principal designer.
Phil Crowther, director at Willmott Dixon Interiors, said: “Our refurbishment of St. Michael’s Hospital has delivered a modern health care environment and improved experience for patients and staff alike. Anti-ligature work is highly specialised and very different from a traditional refurbishment. All works were designed with patient care and safety in mind and delivered by a highly experienced team. We are hugely grateful for the cooperation of staff at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust who have enabled us to complete this phase of the project quickly and with minimal disruption.”
Image Above: Phil Crowther and Stuart Kerr with Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust
Andrew Peck, Client Relationship Manager at Procurement Hub said: “We are delighted to have provided a compliant route to market for Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust. The framework provides clarity and transparency for our members. The early engagement benefits Procurement Hub members through the scope of a contract, saving time and money through the process”
Find out more about the work at St Michael’s Hospital here.
Willmott Dixon Interiors are proud to have been chosen to deliver two new endoscopy suites at Mexborough’s Montagu Hospital.
Image above: Carrie Hallsworth, Stuart Dack, Phil Green, Chris Hall and Richard Wilde from Willmott Dixon Interiors.
As part of the works, our project team will reconfigure and refurbish more than 9,000 sq ft of space within the hospital’s endoscopy ward and rotunda building on behalf of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The £4.3 million project will provide new staff and patient facilities, a discharge lounge and recovery ward, and new consultant and ancillary rooms. There will also be a new reception and waiting area, staff room and toilets.
Image above: Completion of the Community Diagnostic Centre at Mexborough’s Montagu Hospital.
Willmott Dixon Interiors has begun early on-site activities, with the full 30-week project expected to be completed later this year.
It follows the contractor’s recent completion of a similar project to refurbish the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Montagu Hospital.
Phil Crowther, Director at Willmott Dixon Interiors, said: “We are very pleased to be working in partnership with Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to deliver important new facilities for local people. The creation of a new endoscopy suite builds on our recent refurbishment of the CDC at Montagu Hospital and will improve patient experience by providing faster diagnosis and treatment. We are highly experienced in the delivery of healthcare refurbishment projects and will be working to a fast-paced programme, with minimal disruption to hospital staff and patients.”
Willmott Dixon Interiors is delivering the refurbishment of the endoscopy ward and rotunda building at Mexborough Montagu Hospital alongside a project team that includes P+HS, WT Partnership, CAD 21 and Alan Johnston Partnership.
Find out more about the work at Montagu Hospital here.
The construction and refurbishment of mental health environments presents unique challenges for public and private healthcare.
Keeping vulnerable people safe from harm requires specialist knowledge and an acute understanding of the ligature risks posed in each estate.
Nabeel Javed, Construction Manager at Willmott Dixon Interiors, has dedicated the last few years of his career to supporting capital projects teams in the NHS.
Nabeel Javed, Construction Manager at Willmott Dixon Interiors
Fit for purpose mental health facilities
Rosewood Terrace is an inpatient mental health rehabilitation unit at St. Michael’s Hospital in Warwick.
The building was recently revamped by Willmott Dixon Interiors and its supply chain partners on behalf of Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust.
It’s one of several ‘anti-ligature’ projects we have been contracted to deliver at St. Michael’s, which are designed to prevent vulnerable people from accidentally or intentionally self-harming.
“We are delivering anti-ligature works to the very best standard,” says Nabeel Javed, who is leading the refurbishment programme. “It’s specialist work and very different from a traditional refurbishment. There is a large amount of detail behind each project and a huge focus on patient risk.”
Image above: Recent anti-ligature work completed at St Michael’s Hospital in Warwick.
Additional support for NHS Trusts
Budgetary constraints in public healthcare have led to gaps in construction expertise.
In practical terms, that means when a door or window is upgraded to meet anti-ligature requirements, other alterations such as removing vinyls or making good around the frame may not necessarily be included in the scope of works.
Nabeel believes that huge value can be added through “the finer details” by influencing guidance and assisting NHS Trusts in taking a schedule of works to a finished project.
He explains: “We might typically expect to see an architect or a clerk of works involved in refurbishment projects of this scale but generally that kind of knowledge doesn’t exist within the NHS. “We’ve developed an understanding of mental health estates that has enabled us to make our customers aware of any problems as well as offering them practical solutions. It means we can work with customers from preconstruction to project delivery.”
Image above: Recent anti-ligature work completed at St Michael’s Hospital in Warwick.
Applying anti-ligature expertise
Nabeel and his team have developed an in-depth understanding of approved ligatures and ligature points.
It covers everything from the installation of toilet facilities to wardrobe designs.
“Most contractors are used to working with a certain type of fire door but anti-ligature works require bespoke doors with topple arms that sense an increased weight,” explains Nabeel. “They need to be wired in a certain way so they can send out an alarm in an emergency. Similarly the toilets we install are very different from a standard model and require a connection to power supply units. Understanding these specialist items is crucial.”
So too are the relationships we’ve developed with the specialist manufacturers of such products, which significantly increases the speed and efficiency of installation.
Image above: Recent anti-ligature work completed at St Michael’s Hospital in Warwick.
Communication leads to good customer relations
Pre-planning, communication and good customer relations are essential to the success of projects delivered in a live hospital environment.
It’s especially important given the make-up of our teams, which feature small, well drilled groups of as little as 10-15 operatives on-site – including subcontractors.
The approach has also proved effective in the delivery of similar anti-ligature projects, such as Forest House, a psychiatric unit for young people, and Albany Lodge, a 24-bed mental health care unit in St. Albans.
Nabeel says: “We oversee the work and orchestrate it but we’ve developed a supply chain that has an enhanced understanding of anti-ligature. We have points of contact for every facet of the refurbishment.”
A specialist in any location
The success of our partnership with Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust has led to our appointment on several additional projects across St. Michael’s Hospital and beyond.
As anti-ligature becomes a more pressing concern for our resource poor NHS Trusts, in-house maintenance and capital project teams are often being left to carry the burden of delivering vital upgrades to estates.
It’s clear that they can only benefit from external expertise.
Nabeel says: “NHS Trusts face continual challenges in managing budgets and resources and generally don’t have the means to deliver projects of this type from start to finish. “We want hospitals to be aware that there is a service out there that can help them.”
Find out more about our anti-ligature work at St Michael’s Hospital in Warwick here.
As energy prices continue to significantly increase, Willmott Dixon Interiors is constantly scrutinising the electricity consumed by our sites. By 2030 Willmott Dixon will become a zero-carbon business. To help us get there, we are committed to all our sites being fossil fuel free and with energy efficient site set-ups.
Our new cabin standards aim to ensure we are consistently procuring the most efficient welfare facilities. A study conducted by Oasis at our project in Brighton demonstrates the savings available when we implement more sustainable cabins, which delivers subsequent savings for our customers.
Energy prices are rising exponentially. In the past, Willmott Dixon Interiors has been somewhat protected by the price increases due to using existing customer supplies. Understandably, customers are becoming increasingly concerned about energy prices. To align with our zero-carbon approach, Willmott Dixon Interiors continues to closely monitor its energy use to provide more accurate energy forecasts, whilst also outlining measures to reduce energy usage.
How Do We Forecast Our Energy Use?
Our Power Planning Tool allows us to calculate the amount of energy that a project will use. It allows us to reassure our customers that we are conscious of our energy use and taking steps to limit it. The figures it provides helps our customers budget effectively and identify areas that can be reduced.
Efficient Cabins
Site welfare and cabins are a major consumer of energy on site. As part of our commitment to become a zero-carbon business, we must ensure our cabins are operating at maximum efficiency. Willmott Dixons have developed cabin standards and worked with suppliers to ensure they are met.
Striving For More Sustainable Solutions
Willmott Dixon Interiors have been using Oasis’ EcoLogic Solar units to provide sustainable instant welfare and office facilities on our Brighton projects. We were appointed by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust to deliver additional clinical treatment space within the emergency department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.
Using modern methods of construction, we built a two-storey modular building outside the main A&E department, to help increase the capacity within the main A&E and improve services for patients, as well as minimising pressure on the NHS. This is just one of the projects undertaken by the Willmott Dixon Interiors build team, who have embarked on a variety of projects at the Royal Sussex Hospital site, with different levels of staff and contractors needing access to quality welfare and office facilities.
Located in a busy residential area, space around the hospital construction site is very limited. Willmott Dixon and the Trust have worked together to ensure suitable welfare is in place.
Due to the location, service connections were not easily available and therefore the team required a completely self-contained set up from Oasis Welfare. Willmott Dixon Interiors approached Advanté to deliver suitable welfare units to their upcoming projects.
Being in the middle of a built-up residential area, minimising noise and carbon emissions is paramount, to positively impact the local community and air quality. The build team chose to hire three separate Oasis EcoMax welfare setups, including two from our latest 32ft EcoMax Solarwelfare range.
EcoMax Solar is Advanté’s unique two-storey instant start welfare setup that is mainly powered by solar and a hybrid LPG power system that rarely relies on the generator.
Performance Benefits:
o 99.6% electricity produced carbon-free
o Silent running for the majority of the hire
o Energy produced by renewable sources would run an average house for 290 days
o LPG cost just £2.12 per unit per day (heating & 24/7 drying room)
“The use of Advante’s Solar EcoMax32 units here at the Royal Sussex County Hospital has been invaluable. This particular area of Brighton, and the Hospital site itself, is incredibly congested and the area that’s been made available to us has very little core services for us to connect easily to.
In terms of performance, the units came fully stocked and in excellent condition, allowing us to make an immediate start. They have been impressively efficient; the generator very rarely goes on thanks to the solar panels, and it is quiet in operation, which our neighbours appreciate.”
Andy Gray, Senior Build Manager, Willmott Dixon Interiors