Our Managing Director, Alan Wilson recently spoke to PBC Today about the benefits of modular construction to help solve capacity issues currently faced by the NHS.
We work closely with NHS Trusts up and down the UK, and we have seen first-hand how effective the addition of a modular building can be to increasing capacity and enabling healthcare professionals to treat more patients.
Undoubtedly, the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the need for the NHS to consider alternatives to traditional construction to expand its hospital estate. With pressures mounting due to COVID-19 cases, alongside typically NHS hospital pressures, NHS Trusts need compliant, bespoke facilities that are scalable to suit fluctuating demand.
Supporting the NHS
It’s not just COVID-19 that is placing the NHS under immense strain, as the backlog in routine operations is also escalating. Steps will need to be taken to reduce hospital waiting times if the NHS is to successfully revert back to the pre-pandemic target of 18-weeks.
Modular construction offers high-specification buildings that are both cost-effective and scalable, and provide a longer-term solution. An added benefit of modular facilities is they can be added onto existing hospital estate in a matter of weeks, offering a custom-made solution for handling changing and soaring pressures.
Budget considerations
The government has allocated additional budget to the NHS to support our health service through the pandemic, but a substantial share of this isn’t likely to be maintained when the pandemic comes to an end. With this in mind, hired and managed service agreements could be an attractive alternative.
These agreements amalgamate the overall costs of the facility, while also having the ability to include the groundworks, clinical equipment and any ongoing maintenance into a monthly rental fee. This offering is a more manageable commitment for Trusts, while also enabling hospital staff and patients to begin benefitting from a new, bespoke facility immediately.
Scalable and sustainable modular buildings
The pandemic has shown that we cannot predict the challenges our NHS may face, so capacity solutions must be scalable, adaptable and cost-effective. Modular buildings deliver on all three counts and can be developed and designed in collaboration with the team who will be using the facility day to day.
It’s also likely that we’ll see the importance of sustainability at the top of healthcare decision-makers agendas in 2021, in line with the NHS’ net-zero targets. Modular builds are both reusable and relocatable, and only require 10% of new materials when moving a module to a new site.
2021 predictions
Twenty years ago, modular offsite construction was pivotal in bringing hospital waiting times down to the 18-week standard we uphold today and there’s every chance we will see it rise to the challenge once again, given the evolutionary journey the industry has already undertaken.
Modular builds offer a comprehensive solution to NHS Trusts facing capacity-related issues, providing fully compliant, cost-effective facilities that can be delivered in around half the time of a traditional build.
Certainty of budget is an additional consideration and the importance of this shouldn’t be underestimated. We’d anticipate Managed Service Agreements could come into their own over the next few years, providing financially viable solutions that reassure the Trust that the facility is maintained to the highest standard without compromising on quality or speed.
We hope to see a continued uplift in the adoption of modular construction to support our NHS and will continue to raise awareness of the numerous benefits it brings.
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