Stakeholder Engagement is the Key to Successfully Delivery of Complex Scheme at Dellwood Hospital, Reading

Over the past three years, Oander has been supporting our client, NHS Property Services providing a Multi-Disciplinary Services (Project Management, Cost Constant, Principal Designer and Design) to facilitate and enable the disposal of Block 1 at Dellwood Hospital in Reading.

The block has not been used for the past 10 years and was identified as part of the NHS Estates Rationalisation as being surplus to requirements, which has enabled NHS Property Services to dispose of the site to a private developer.

With the site surplus to requirements, the ICB (Integrated Care Board) would identify that the asset is not longer required nor forms part of the longer-term healthcare estate for the Borough, therefore, it is disposed of, enabling the funds to be re-invested into the NHS.

Whilst Block 1 is being disposed, the remaining and wider estate was to remain an operational, part of the NHS Estate and required not to be disrupted during the works, yet the challenge lay in the fact the entire site’s incoming services and central plant room is located in Block 1.

This requires concise and proactive planning, management and implement to ensure that the remaining Physiotherapy Suite, Fundraising Offices, Block 4 and the Sue Ryder Hospice, which provides palliative care to inpatients all remain operational throughout the course of the works.
LST Projects have been appointed and leading the works on site as Principal Contractor, who are progressing well, quickly building a repour with those on site.

As the works continues to ramp up, Operations Director, Steve Carrington said “whilst we have been working with the NHS PS disposal and planning team for the last three years from feasibility through to implementation, this has given us opportunity to plan this complex boiler house, switch room and new incoming services relocation. Key to the success to this project is the continued close collaboration and stakeholder briefings to ensure that everyone is aware of the current works, planned works and next phases”.

Steve went further to say, “the complexity of the scheme includes providing temporary kitchen facilities for the Sue Ryder hospice, but whilst we are continuing to manage the risk, there has been some additional opportunities, where Berkshire Health have used the kitchen downtime to undertake localised works, which wouldn’t have been possible, without all those involved, working together”.

With the site team now engaged, progressing the works in a professional manner, which includes the construction of a new electrical switch room and boiler room, along with all associated plant and equipment. The site wide civils works involving extensive excavations to re-supply the remaining buildings from the new primary plant locations is considerable.

The project includes new main utility works including upgrading and decommissioning the electricity, gas and BT services, which Oander has been responsible for co-ordinating, managing and implementing.

In addition to the site wide works, Oander has been working with Reading Borough Council Highways and NHS PS Planning Team to obtain the necessary Section 278 agreement, which will enable the new entrance to be constructed, accommodating the new access and egress for the site, once Block 1 is handed over to the new owners.

We look forward to providing further updates on the project in the coming months.

The Project Team

We would like to take the opportunity to thank the project team and the wider supply chain for their continued hard work.