Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Fazakerley, Liverpool) is moving ahead with its plan to transform the main entrance and tower block of Aintree Hospital, by appointing a contractor to commence work.

The £15 million renovation will refresh the outside of the hospital, extending the service life of the 10-storey tower block by at least 20 years. The tower block houses the majority of the hospital’s wards.

The Trust has appointed BAM Construction following a competitive process under the Government’s ProCure 22 capital framework for health in England.

The scheme has been designated as “essential” and is proceeding with a wide range of adaptations to meet social distancing requirements and safe operating protocols to protect all those involved with it.

The scheme’s designs will tie-in with the adjacent £35m Urgent Care and Trauma Centre, also created by BAM, which was officially opened by the Duke of Cambridge in 2017.

The work will also improve the staff and patient experience within the building, with improved insulation, solar reflection and natural ventilation helping to manage inside temperatures all year round. Cold winters will feel warmer, while hot summers will feel cooler.

Paul Fitzpatrick, Director of Estates and Facilities at Aintree, said: “Our staff work hard to provide high-quality care for our patients and it is important that our buildings support this.

“This investment with breathe new life into the fabric of the hospital, giving it a modern, efficient and contemporary façade.”

Rob Bailey, Construction Manager for the scheme, said:

“We have a very strong understanding with the Trust, and the effective collaboration between us is a critical ingredient in the success we expect to achieve here.

“Our experience in healthcare schemes across the UK is exceptional, and the way we work means that the Trust’s people will feel involved and informed about what is happening around them. That’s very important to us.”
BAM has just commenced phase one of the works which will finish next summer, and phase two, which follows will finish around 12 months later. The design is by Day Architectural.

Funding for the work comes via regional financial allocations, via money allocated to local Clinical Commissioning Groups by NHS England.

This investment would be the latest in a long line of improvements. Since becoming a Foundation Trust in 2006, more than £175m has been invested into the hospital’s buildings and facilities.

BAM is currently at work on a number of other NHS healthcare facilities in around a dozen further UK locations. It recently delivered the new NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber. Its work in Liverpool stems back to 1933.