The website of the Health Estate Journal

Facility engineered ‘through the eyes of a patient’

Thomas Rodger, MEng MIET, at AECOM, describes the critical first 48 hours of work converting a conference venue into Glasgow’s COVID-19 hospital, NHS Louisa Jordan, and how he believes the experience can bring about positive change in future projects

I have never worked on a project where £5 million was spent within the first 48 hours, and hope I never will again, but this spending decision sums up the urgency and shifting parameters within which we delivered Glasgow’s COVID-19 hospital, NHS Louisa Jordan. As we begin to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, it is imperative that we learn lessons from the design and construction of Glasgow’s field hospital. As an engineering profession, we need to assess what factors enabled the facility to be delivered so rapidly, and to look at whether some these can be embedded into future work. We also need to start to plan for how we might respond to future pandemics, and whether we can shift practices and designs to help ready the NHS.

AECOM started work on the conversion of the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) back in March. The plan was to initially provide NHS Scotland with 300 beds, including 100 high dependency unit beds, as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The facility had the potential for the number of beds to increase to around 1,000. At the time, COVID-19 infection rates were rapidly increasing, and the impact on Scotland’s National Health Service was unknown. There was a desperate need to provide more beds

Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said when she announced the new facility on 1 April: “Our NHS is on an emergency footing, and all health boards have been undertaking extensive work across Scotland to maximise the capacity available to manage expected rise in demand due to COVID-19.” (The new facility was being delivered alongside the roll-out of Nightingale Hospitals across England)

Log in or register FREE to read the rest

This story is Premium Content and is only available to registered users. Please log in at the top of the page to view the full text. If you don't already have an account, please register with us completely free of charge.
Register

Upcoming Events

The Fire Safety Event 2024

National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham
30th April - 2 May 2024

Wales regional conference, exhibition and awards dinner 2024

International Conference Centre (ICC) Newport
28th - 29th May 2024

NAHFO National Conference 2024

Crowne Plaza Newcastle Upon Tyne
3rd - 5th June 2024

Design in Mental Health 2024

Manchester Central
4th - 5th June 2024

InstallerSHOW 2024

National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham
25th - 27th June

Healthcare Estates 2024

Manchester Central
8th-9th October 2024

Access the latest issue of Health Estate Journal on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

Download the FREE Health Estate Journal app from your device's App store

Upcoming Events

The Fire Safety Event 2024

National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham
30th April - 2 May 2024

Wales regional conference, exhibition and awards dinner 2024

International Conference Centre (ICC) Newport
28th - 29th May 2024

NAHFO National Conference 2024

Crowne Plaza Newcastle Upon Tyne
3rd - 5th June 2024

Design in Mental Health 2024

Manchester Central
4th - 5th June 2024

InstallerSHOW 2024

National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham
25th - 27th June

Healthcare Estates 2024

Manchester Central
8th-9th October 2024

Access the latest issue of Health Estate Journal on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

Download the FREE Health Estate Journal app from your device's App store

Step Communications Ltd, Step House, North Farm Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3DR
Tel: 01892 779999
www.step-communications.com
© 2024 Step Communications Ltd. Registered in England. Registration Number 3893025