Bispham Gardens, Bispham
Overview
The property at Bispham was one of three identical rehabilitation hospitals all built at the same time by Eric Wright Construction under a PFI agreement. The properties were built in Bispham, Wesham and Rossall. The Wesham Rehabilitation Hospital is the building that is to become the Community Facing Rehabilitation Hospital and we are in a viable position with our intrinsic knowledge of the building. The Bispham project was split into two distinct phases.
Phase 1 – A refurbishment of the existing building to provide dementia care bedrooms. The previous use of the building was a rehabilitation hospital complete with a physiotherapy unit and 4 bay wards. The brief was to introduce a more homely and less clinical feel to the project.
Phase 2 – A new build extension to the existing facility to provide 24 en-suite bedrooms, local lounge areas, personnel lift and independent plant room.
Key Challenges
Phase 1 of Bispham Gardens was completed next to two ponds, a residential area, a school and college. Careful planning and logistics plans were made to avoid any disruptions and to ensure the scheme was completed on time.
Phase 2 was undertaken whilst the main care home was operational and discussions regarding logistics, privacy of existing residents were extensive.
The fire escape were amended during the construction works within the courtyard, this was done in conjunction with the existing care home and the client.
Phase 2 was further complicated with COVID-19 and the existing care home being in lockdown.
The privacy of residents was a particular high priority during the construction phase, with obscure film being used on specific bedrooms to allow light to still enter the bedrooms but prevent the rooms being visible by construction operatives.
Added Value
The client’s brief was to create a more comfortable homely environment for the service users within Bispham Gardens and take away the clinical feel of the rehabilitation hospital. Eric Wright Construction worked hard to make the scheme bright and comfortable, following the client’s brief closely and working collaboratively with the design and client teams.
2 apprentices were hired on the Bispham Gardens Phase 2 scheme and a 99.7% waste recycling rate was achieved.