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Project Update - June 06 |
JUNE 2006
PROJECT NURSE APPOINTED
Christine Goan has been appointed to the post of Project / Commissioning Nurse for the New Downe Hospital Project. Christine, who joined the Project Team on 12th June, has over 20 years experience in various nursing roles. She has worked as a ward manager in the acute setting and as a health visitor in the community setting. Her most recent role was as Project Leader for one of 8 regional projects re-designing community nursing across Northern Ireland. Christine’s role will be to provide professional nursing support and advice to the project team during the final stages of the design process. During the construction process the focus of the post will shift to the actual commissioning of the hospital. She will bring valuable experience in project management, leadership and professional nursing issues to the Project Team. |
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DESIGN PROGRESS
A major milestone in the finalisation of the design of the new hospital was reached last month with the completion of the ‘C’ sheets process. This process began after the completion of the stage 1 design last September. It involved over 70 members of staff from all wards and departments, who between them attended over 100 meetings with architects to develop the detailed design of nearly 900 rooms in the hospital.
Since January the Trust and our design team have been working very closely with the preferred contractor to finalise all of the details of the design of the hospital. The successful completion of this process will lead to the formal signing of a contract with McLaughlin & Harvey Ltd in mid-to-late August 2006, and work will commence on-site in late August / early September.
The process is broken down into 'work packages', each of which requires input from architects, engineers, planners and users- the level of detail required is considerable. To give an idea of the scale of the task, the following is a list of the 43 work packages involved in finalising the design of the hospital:
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ARTS PROJECT
Interviews for major art commissions are being held on 27th/28th June and 3rd/4th July. The artists being interviewed have each been asked to respond to a brief relating to a specific location in the new hospital building or in the landscaped areas. They are required to give a presentation to the interview panel outlining their proposals and will be assessed against a list of criteria agreed with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES
The project team is organising a second round of meetings with representatives of users with disabilities as part of on-going consultations on ensuring that the new hospital is accessible to all. The user groups themselves have agreed to prepare the agendas for these meetings, to ensure that all of the issues they wish to raise are discussed.
Following this series of meetings, a public meeting will be held at which members of the design team will explain in detail the approach taken to accessibility issues.
PLANNING
The Trust has now received the formal notice of the planning approval for the new hospital, which was agreed at the meeting of Down District Council in March of this year. The approval has a number of standard conditions attached, the majority of which have already been met. The outstanding conditions relate to the construction of the new Struell Wells Road and are being addressed by the Civil Engineers on the design team.
MODEL
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The Trust has taken delivery of the architect’s model of the new hospital. This is a detailed 1:250 scale model of the building and the associated landscaped area. The model was built using the latest computer controlled laser cutting tools by ModelsOne, a Belfast-based architectural model-making firm. It will allow staff, patients and the public to more easily visualise what the building will look like when it is completed in late 2008. The model will be on display in the foyer of the Great Hall, Downshire Hospital. |
Pictured viewing the model of the new hospital are (L to R) Dick Shannon (Down Community Health Committee), Donal Flanagan (DLT Non Executive Director), Eśnan Carr, (DLT Assistant Project Director), John Compton (DLT Chief Executive), Denise Fitzsimons (DLT Chairman), Eddie McGrady MP, John Simpson (DLT Director of Planning) |
MOCK-UP FACILITY
The Trust has submitted an application for planning approval to build a ‘mock-up facility’ for testing both the construction methodologies to be used in building the new hospital and to allow final decisions to be made regarding engineering details and finishes materials. The mock-up will included, amongst other things, two fully-fitted inpatient bedrooms (one acute and one mental health), sanitary facilities and samples of all materials to be used in the building. The facility will be used right through the construction phase of the new hospital.
INTERESTING FINDS ON THE SITE
Design Team Manager, Brian Widdicombe, retrieved some artefacts of interest from the new hospital site during recent investigative engineering work. The artefacts, which were checked by the site archaeologist to confirm that they are not of archaeological significance, included various glass and pottery containers, the bowl from an old clay pipe and, most interestingly, a brass button engraved with the Down County Crest and the words ‘Downpatrick Lunatic Asylum’.
Dr Lawrence Erskine was asked to have a look at the items found and he was able to find out that one of the bottles was used to store dye for straw hats worn by patients to prevent sunlight from interacting with their medication.
Any readers with an interest in things historical who would like to have a closer look at these artefacts can do so by contacting the project team.
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Some of the artefacts found on the site of the new hospital: Various old glass bottles (left) and (above) the bowl from a clay pipe and the brass button. |
New Downe Hospital Project Offices |
1st Floor McFadden House |
Downe Hospital |
Downpatrick |
Co.Down |
BT30 6JA |
Tel: 028 4461 3866 |