NHS Nightingale Hospital North West finished within two weeks

17th April 2020

Integrated Health Projects (IHP) and its partners are proud to have been instrumental in the creation of the NHS Nightingale Hospital North West at the Manchester Central Convention Complex that opened officially today (Friday, 2pm, 17 April).

It has been incredibly humbling to see all the hard work that has gone into building a hospital out of nothing and in such a short period of time. No matter what your role has been, without you, this wouldn’t have been possible. Teams have worked day and night, in a challenging environment to achieve this and you should be very proud of your contribution.

This hospital will play a crucial role in caring for Covid-19 patients and supporting hospitals across the region. By providing care for patients who no longer need to be in a critical care environment we will be helping to make sure the highest-level critical care beds are available for those patients who need them. This hospital will help save lives. On behalf of the NHS, the patients this hospital will care for and their families I want to say thank you.

Delivered by IHP, the joint venture between VINCI Building and Sir Robert McAlpine under the ProCure 22 Framework and working alongside NHS staff, the Army, Mott MacDonald, BDP and NG Bailey, up to 1,000 people have worked 24-hours a day to complete the 750-bed hospital from scratch in a grade-2 listed building in less than two weeks.

It is equipped to receive up to 750 coronavirus patients from across the region who do not need intensive care but still require treatment. The hospital has been functioning since 13 April. This releases crucial critical care beds in existing hospitals.

The project has been an excellent example of collaboration across all construction disciplines, local government, the military and the NHS. IHP were asked to proceed on Saturday, 28 March and within 12 hours our team was up and running in liaison with the NHS and the Army and the facility was handed over 13 days after construction began. The 14,500m² of flooring could cover Wembley twice over; there is 104km of data cable that is the same distance as a return journey from Manchester to Liverpool; there is 45km of power cable and the 3,400m of partitioning is 17 times the height of the local Deansgate Square tower.

It will be staffed by consultants, junior doctors, nurses, healthcare support workers, physiotherapists, pharmacists, occupational therapists, social workers, and a huge range of non-clinical support workers and administrators.

The commendation from Professor Michael McCourt sums up the enormous effort made by everyone across the project. The teamwork between contractors, the NHS staff and the army has been superb, and the project is an excellent demonstration of the partnership and commitment within the IHP team and our suppliers. Everyone has done a great job and on behalf of IHP I want to thank everyone involved particularly colleagues in VINCI Construction, Sir Robert McAlpine, Mott MacDonald, BDP and NG Bailey.

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