Building contractor starts work on £1.3m project to modernise and upgrade a Liverpool city region cancer centre. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool building firm Krol Corlett has started work to modernise and upgrade The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre’s specialised treatment unit at Halton Hospital.
Run and staffed by The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, the unit provides a wide range of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapies and other systemic anti-cancer therapy.
This £1.3m project will ensure that patients can have their treatment close to home instead of having to travel to The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre’s main sites in Liverpool, Wirral and Aintree.
Strip-out and demolition of existing walls and features has already begun. Once complete, the unit will have a completely different design and layout.
Overseen by architects AFL, the design has been shaped by feedback from patients and staff, ensuring the refurbished unit reflects what matters most to the people receiving treatment and the teams caring for them.
Mike Topping, lead contracts manager for Krol Corlett, said: “We all have people close to us that have undergone cancer treatment so we’re very mindful of the importance of this job to patients.
“As with the many other jobs we undertake for the NHS, this is a live clinical environment with lots of moving parts and hygiene factors that need very careful management. Our team on site has years of experience delivering similar projects and our working protocols extend to our supply chain.
“It’s a job we’re proud to have won and it’s one we’re very much looking forward to delivering to the highest possible standard.”
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The refurbishment will include updated mechanical and electrical works to provide a comfortable environment for patients and staff.
This space will be remodelled to create additional rooms and improve clinical operations and patient flow. Other aspects include new floors, ceilings and doors and a new reception area.
Joan Spencer, chief executive of The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, added: “We care about every aspect of the treatment experience. Many cancer treatments take several hours so it is important that patients can enjoy a peaceful environment and comfortable facilities while they are here.”