HEALTHCARE
BREATHING NEW LIFE: SECONDMENT AIDS IN MAJOR UPGRADE AT LIVE HOSPITAL SITE When it comes to settings that are considered ‘live’, such as in healthcare, being at the heart of the process can only aid in a smooth operation. These complex projects often require a different approach to management, which is where seconding roles can be beneficial for both the client and consultant. Josh Sandbach, Project Manager at Pick Everard, discusses the benefits of this approach having delivered major works for the University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) NHS Trust through a full-time secondment.
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llowing the project manager to be fully embedded in the organisation means they are more available to jump in at short notice, have a greater awareness of the project by being able to communicate directly with the client and key stakeholders, can share expert knowledge to drive the project forward and allow for access to further input from colleagues on the secondee’s side. Pick Everard successfully completed work on the £15m relocation of the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre (EMCHC) from Glenfield Hospital to its new city-centre home at Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI). The relocation was carried out across three phases of construction – a new-build extension to the Kensington Building being the largest, followed by a new cardiac ward on the first floor of the existing Kensington Building and, finally, installation of the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), brandnew to the fifth floor. Due to the complexities of working on a live acute hospital site and the number of stakeholders that require regular engagement, the decision was made to fully second the project management. Josh explained: “With the existing Kensington Building being at the centre of the new heart facility, it was necessary to relocate the services previously housed here while work was carried out. To achieve this, we worked to refurbish two existing clinical areas on the LRI estate to re-house the maternity department and the gynaecology assessment and outpatients’ services.”
