News

The recent successful completion and handover of the final phase of works at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary marks the conclusion of another complex healthcare project delivered by our specialist team in partnership with Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust.

Spanning the construction of a new building extension and the fit-out of all internal floors, the project demonstrates our ability to deliver complex healthcare environments while maintaining the safe operation of a live hospital. The final phase has seen the completion of the new Surgical Admissions Unit (SAU). This SAU provides a purpose-built clinical facility that will support the Trust in delivering high-quality patient care for years to come.

Construction within operational healthcare settings demands a level of planning, coordination and technical expertise unlike any other sector. At Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, every activity was carefully planned around the needs of the hospital. Patient safety, infection prevention, staff wellbeing and the continuity of clinical services remained at the forefront of every decision made throughout the programme.

Working in partnership with the Trust and the wider project team, we developed construction phasing that enabled essential hospital services to continue throughout the works. From managing complex logistics and maintaining emergency access routes to controlling noise, vibration and dust adjacent to occupied clinical areas, our teams adapted daily to the changing operational requirements of a busy acute healthcare environment. This collaborative approach ensured the project was delivered safely, efficiently and with minimal disruption to patients, visitors and frontline healthcare professionals.

Healthcare projects succeed when everyone works towards a common goal. Our long-standing experience within the healthcare sector enabled us to work seamlessly alongside the Trust. This helped us nurture strong relationships with clinical teams, estates representatives, and specialist subcontractors throughout every stage of the programme.

The completion of the the final floor fit-out is a reflection of what can be achieved through genuine partnership, where construction expertise and operational healthcare requirements come together to deliver facilities that make a lasting difference.

The new SAU forms the final element of a significant investment in the hospital’s estate, creating an environment that supports efficient patient pathways while providing clinical teams with facilities designed around modern healthcare delivery. These are spaces that will benefit thousands of patients each year and help future-proof healthcare services for the local community.

Successfully delivering projects within live healthcare environments requires more than construction capability, it demands a genuine understanding of how hospitals function. Our dedicated healthcare teams are experienced in delivering complex refurbishment, extension and new-build projects across operational NHS estates, where maintaining clinical services is just as important as delivering the finished building. We understand the importance of infection control, stakeholder engagement, phased delivery, operational continuity and working flexibly around the needs of frontline healthcare teams. This specialist knowledge enables us to manage risk, minimise disruption and deliver environments that support better healthcare outcomes.

As specialists in healthcare construction, projects like this demonstrate the value of early collaboration, meticulous planning and an experienced delivery team that understands the unique demands of working in live clinical environments. It’s an achievement that reflects the commitment of everyone involved and one that will leave a lasting legacy for healthcare provision in Wigan.