The Project
Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool is the city’s first specialist cancer hospital. The furniture and fit out project was Deanestor’s 16th project for Laing O’Rourke.
The spectacular 11-storey hospital is located adjacent to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and in the city’s Knowledge Quarter – a thriving medical, scientific and technology community.
The hospital’s accelerated completion provided protected facilities in Liverpool for people with cancer in the coronavirus pandemic and released capacity at other hospitals in the North West.
It will deliver a wide range of highly specialist cancer care including pioneering chemotherapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy and radiotherapy. It has state-of-the-art facilities for bone marrow transplant, diagnostics and imaging, outpatients, day case treatments, a teenage and young adult unit, clinical therapies and patient support.
The Furniture Solution
Deanestor was awarded a £1.5m contract by Laing O’Rourke for the manufacture of bespoke furniture and fit out of the new hospital.
Deanestor manufactured and installed over 3,700 bespoke items of furniture, including:
- Full height patient bay partitions
- Base and wall cabinets
- Wardrobes
- Worktops
- Staff kitchens
- Reception desks and nurse stations to each floor.
Deanestor’s team also procured and installed over 5,000 other items for the new hospital – from mirrors and grabrails to lockers – fitting out around 800 rooms.
A New Approach to Chemotherapy Treatment
Deanestor manufactured 50 specially designed, freestanding screens which create individual patient spaces in the chemotherapy units and incorporate datacomms, power, medical gases, storage, and a recess for a curtain.
These floor-to-ceiling chair bay partitions give patients privacy in the open-plan treatment spaces whilst facilitating interaction in an open, light and welcoming environment. The screens have an American oak finish, an opaque resin panel and laminated cabinets finished in colours from a palette used for each floor.
Bespoke Joinery and Fixed Furniture Solutions
Bespoke joinery provided by Deanestor included the manufacture and installation of 110 wardrobes with a wood grain finish to each of the single ensuite patient bedrooms, and 43 reception desks with storage for nurses’ stations.
In its fixed furniture package, Deanestor manufactured, supplied and fitted 16 staff kitchens, worktops and storage units for consultants’ examination rooms, and lead-lined base and wall cabinets for the radiotherapy department. More than 1100 cabinets were produced at Deanestor’s Mansfield factory for multiple rooms across the new hospital.
The Project Team’s Perspective
Abdul Moked, Senior Architect, BDP:
“Deanestor’s workmanship on this project was second to none and is there for all to see. Despite working to a tight budget, there has been no compromise on the quality of furniture manufacture and this standard was maintained in the fit out on site. The quality of fitting out is so important in a healthcare environment and contributes to effective infection control and reduced maintenance. Deanestor also added value to the project with input in the design and the choice of materials, particularly for dimensional and thermal stability given the size of some of the items.”
“The chair bay screens in the chemotherapy units are absolutely stunning. The Trust wanted a new concept and an alternative to cellular spaces and traditional patient cubicles. The freestanding bespoke joinery has completely changed the dynamic, bringing a new dimension to the chemotherapy treatment areas and the quality of the finish has definitely helped that. We are really pleased with how the design of these partitions allows daylight transmission in the open plan space whilst maintaining a sense of privacy – and facilitating interaction between patients and staff.”
Tim Holliday, Director of project managers, CCL Solutions:
“The fit out looks fantastic. We have worked with Deanestor on a number of NHS projects since 2003. Their team has huge experience in hospital furniture and fit out and has consistently performed well on these complex projects. At Clatterbridge, Deanestor had good project management in place and was also able to source specialist items for the Trust to overcome supply issues. Fixtures and fittings procured by the Trust were delivered direct to the Deanestor factory to simplify logistics ahead of fitting out. This was a key benefit given the hospital’s city centre location and the need to reduce deliveries to site.”
Furniture and Fit Out Solutions for the Healthcare Sector
Originally established in 1948 to manufacture hospital furniture for the newly established NHS, Deanestor is a market leading supplier of fixtures, fittings and equipment, manufacturing bespoke furniture for hospitals and laboratories. It offers inhouse design services to meet specific project requirements and is responsible for fit out, for a seamless approach and a single point of contact for main contractors and healthcare providers.
For further information, visit www.deanestor.co.uk/healthcare, call 01623 420041 or email [email protected] .