Day Service Centre Development Programme Delivered in Nottinghamshire
The Project:
The project was to deliver a scheme of complex refurbishments and DDA compliance works to Day Service Centres in Nottingham. The works included internal re-ordering and refurbishment, full heating system replacements, mechanical and electrical upgrades including the provision of electric doors, internal and external decorating, hard and soft landscaping and various social enterprise infrastructure elements.
The Challenges
Every project poses its own set of unique challenges for the delivery team. This project was particularly challenging for a number of reasons. These included:
- Working in live sites with vulnerable people required specific and detailed safeguarding arrangements to be made with each independent centre before the works were started.
- The Ernhale Lea Centre involved working in the main Reception Hall with large volumes of public traffic.
- Delivering absolute minimum disruption to staff and service users through the works including mitigating noise, dust and visual pollution allowing some centres to remain open without disrupting care.
- One third of the Centres included an asbestos removal programme.
- Delivering the project on time was critical to ensure service users could receive the care they need without re-locating which would add significant cost to the client.
- Managing 5 separate projects simultaneously across a wide geographical area.
- Balderton Day Care Centre is situated on a single access road shared with a school which required careful delivery management to ensure the safety of parents, teachers and children.
The Solutions:
Adopting a collaborative approach delivered real efficiencies and enabled us to meet the client’s requirements to deliver state of the art facilities which will directly improve the level of care offered at the Health Centres.
- Continuous design improvements were achieved based on our experience of schemes.
- Constant communication between each independent Centre Management Team facilitated regular and constructive feedback to improve our service, report progress and discuss
- Specialist HoardFast partitioning was used through the project to effectively and safely segregate the works from service users and staff.
- We used the right people, with the right experience. Providing resources with direct experience of working on similar Healthcare projects involving working on live sites with vulnerable people minimised risks to programme, budget, safety and overall project delivery.
- Dust and noise pollution was minimised by programming dust and noise generating works out of centre opening hours. Further works of significant risk to service users were also undertaken out of hours.
- The project programme was buffered to allow for additional works to be undertaken while still achieving the specified handover date.
Key Achievements
Local Spend
100% within 20 miles of Moorland Day Care Centre & Ley Street Community Centre
Local Employment
These projects have created multiple employment opportunities, Balderton Day Care Centre alone provided over 1,300 working days for local subcontractors
The installation of coffee bars and hair salons at each Day Care Centre will stimulate economic growth, return on investment and enhance the service offering provided at the Centres.
Waste Achievements
On average across all the sites under 5% of building waste went to landfill
Project Delivery
On Time
On Budget
Repeat custom
Following the success of the 6 refurbishment projects Robert Woodhead were appointed to conduct 2 further phases of work at an additional Day Care Centre in West Bridgford for Nottinghamshire County Council, on the EMPA Minor Works Framework. The project involves transforming the Day Care Centre into offices with an approximate value of £200,000
Social and Economical Achievements
- Reduced social isolation
- Enables breaks for carers
- Personal care and activities to stay healthy
- Excess wood was donated to a local school woodwork department
- Skill development opportunities for end users