HSJ Value in Healthcare Awards 2016: Estate Management

Estate Management

Winner: Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Foundation Trust

In late 2015, a new elective orthopaedic centre opened at Wrightington Hospital. The unit had been specifically designed to optimise patient flow, leading to less disruption and improved patient experience.

It includes a ‘barn theatre’, which contains four operating theatres in a single open plan space and has been developed to the highest possible infection control standards.

Each ward has a combination of single rooms and small four bed bays with en-suite facilities. This allows post-anaesthetic patients to be cared for on the ward rather than in theatre recovery overnight.

Meanwhile the admissions/discharge area makes it possible for patients to arrive on the day of surgery, so reducing pre-operative length of stay.

The unit had been specifically designed to optimise patient flow, leading to less disruption and improved patient experience

The centre was developed by clinicians, the estates team and the building contractor working in collaboration. Members of the public were consulted over the plans, and clinicians kept regularly updated on progress.

The original guaranteed maximum price of the project was given as £24m, but was robustly challenged by the trust’s project team. Through discussion and value engineering, it was reduced to £18.1m without any associated reduction in clinical content or the quality of the end product.

Judges’ comment: Excellent combination of clinical outputs with reduced financial costs. Excellent working between estates, contractor and clinicians.

Highly commended: Essentia, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust