Site Improvements

Excellent progress is being made on the building of our new Education Centre. The new building, which will be called St Hugh’s will provide us with a dedicated training space. As a specialist centre for the treatment and care of people with severe and complex disabilities, we place great importance on having suitable in-house facilities for training our staff. Plus, as a registered charity for the promotion of healthcare and education, we are committed to sharing our knowledge with other care professionals.

Building St Hugh‘s — the first six months 

Strongbond Construction started construction at the beginning of May 2016. The bungalow that had stood on the site was demolished and excavation for the new building started.

By early June, the foundations and steel reinforcing had been laid. 

Progress continued through June with the erecting of shuttering to pour concrete walls. The curved wall in the foreground will enclose a spiral staircase. The entrance doors will be just to the right of where the shuttering stops in the foreground. 

By the end of July, a great deal had happened with regards to installing waterproofing and underground pipework for drainage and services. The site was ready for the bricklayers to start work. 

In September, the steelwork to support the roof was in place and roof trusses in preparation. The aim is to make the building water-tight before the autumn rain arrives. 

About the Education Centre

• A large, flexible teaching space that can be divided to provide for two separate activities or opened out and used conference-style with seating for up to 60.
• The main entrance will continue to be via the Hospital Reception. A new improved doorway at the rear of Reception will lead directly into the ground floor of the new building.
• On the first floor level there will be an open-plan office for our Support Services team, a workshop and stores area. These facilities will replace some scattered offices and stores and provide properly designed facilities. Up to now we have been making do with an old staff bedroom to serve as an office and a garage for the maintenance workshop and stores.

Background

What is happening

We are replacing a forty-year-old prefabricated bungalow with a two-storey building that meets high efficiency standards.

The design for the new building optimises our sloping site so it will not be visible to any near neighbours. As well as providing a purpose built centre for learning, the space will incorporate much needed storage and offices.

Improving how we deliver oxygen therapy

We are also looking to improve how oxygen is delivered to the many patients who require oxygen therapy. At present it is supplied by heavy, portable cylinders. To improve how we care for patients, we are proposing a system that will see oxygen being piped into patients’ rooms from a central store. This will give a safe and sustainable supply of oxygen and will save money and staff time.

Award winning support

To assist us with the project, we have employed the services of an award winning architectural practice that has designed many public buildings in the area. Before applying for planning permission, we spent many months investigating the various options and altered our original ideas to lessen any potential impact on neighbours.

Further information

We will update these pages with the latest information. If you have any questions, please contact us.