A consortium comprising Skanska and Innisfree has been appointed preferred bidder on a £290 million, 30 year PFI scheme to design, build, fund and operate a major hospital facility in Coventry.
The project includes a 1250–bed acute hospital for University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust, a mental health unit covering 11,000 square metres for Coventry Healthcare NHS Trust and a clinical sciences tutorial and research building.
As the new facilities are completed, the existing Walsgrave Hospital and mental health unit will undergo a phased demolition resulting in a campus style redevelopment of the site with landscaped car parking.
Skanska Construction will be responsible for the design and build, working in joint venture with Skanska Rashleigh Weatherfoil who will install all building services and IT infrastructure. Nightingale Associates are the architects. On completion, Skanska Facilities Services will be responsible for hard FM during the concession period, ISS Mediclean will provide soft FM services and United Medical Enterprises will provide medical equipment services.
Innisfree and Skanska BOT will provide investment capital and the project will be managed by Health Care Projects.
Ray Pett of Health Care Projects, the consortium project director, said: “The consortium brings together a very high level of expertise and experience in this sector of PFI, with recent examples including Skanska’s design and build of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Greenwich, combined with Innisfree’s industry-leading track record. We are delighted that our consortium has been chosen as preferred bidder and look forward to working with the Trusts to provide excellent clinical and general facilities for patients and staff alike.”
David Loughton, University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust chief executive said: “I am delighted that the trust is now entering the final stages of securing the new £290 million superhospital for the citizens of Coventry and Warwickshire. All parties are working together to achieve a successful conclusion.”
Peter Boileau, Coventry Healthcare NHS Trust chief executive, said: “All our staff are pleased that an important step has been taken leading to the day when we can provide care for patients in a modern, state-of-the-art, in-patient mental health unit.”
Financial close is expected in spring 2002 when work on site will begin.