A £49m diagnostic and inpatient centre at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey has been completed as part of a design and build project led by MTX Contracts.

MTX secured the contract with Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) through a two-part tender process, initially working with the trust to provide pre-construction design services to RIBA stage four, then tendering for construction of the facility using modern methods of construction (MMC).

MTX also installed a new substation to provide additional power security for the facility.

From starting on site, the complex and fully-compliant building was delivered in 16 months.

The three-storey building includes four new inpatient medical wards spanning two floors, a dedicated one-stop breast care unit, and a diagnostics centre delivering increased capacity and capability, with three CT scanners, two MRI scanners, and two gamma cameras.

The inpatient wards provide a total of 74 additional beds, which will help the trust to reduce its elective waiting lists, improve patient flow through the hospital, and better cope with seasonal pressures.

A specific requirement for the centre was the creation of radio-frequency-shielded areas that prevent external electromagnetic radiation from distorting diagnostic images and are a critical consideration for optimal functioning of the MRI systems.

To ensure the new facility was delivered in the shortest time, MTX progressed groundworks on site while at the same time 145 structural steel units which make up the building were manufactured offsite within a controlled production environment.

Alongside the contract to build the diagnostic and imaging centre, MTX also installed a new primary substation and generator.

Advanced diagnostic equipment and the new ward facilities require substantial power, which was not available through the site’s existing electrical infrastructure.

MTX carried out all the work to create a new substation with a 3200amp HV transformer within a GRP enclosure, managing the connection beneath a hospital access road.

The substation safeguards against power outages or disruptions, and ensures a reliable, efficient power supply, directly enhancing the hospital’s ability to provide uninterrupted care.

Lance McCarthy, trust chief executive, said: “This represents a significant investment in the services and facilities we can provide for our local communities.

“The additional beds, including far more single rooms, will help us manage the increases in urgent care demand we have been experiencing in recent years, reduce waiting times for planned care, and reduce the disruption caused by the ongoing remedial work to keep safe areas affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).”

MTX managing director, David Hartley, added: “The contract at Frimley Park is another important milestone in our continuing collaboration with health trusts across the UK on the creation of new facilities designed to reduce waiting lists and improve patient care.

“The ability of MTX to undertake the provision of critical infrastructure and enabling works provides significant support for hard-pressed facilities management and site maintenance teams.

“Careful management of the project, combined with MMC principles, also limited disruption and ensured more-rapid delivery, minimising the impact on patient care at Frimley Park Hospital during the construction period.”