Opened in June 2020, this is Liverpool's first specialist cancer hospital.
Providing specialist oncology care to 2.4million people,
the award-winning Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Liverpool opened on time in the middle of the pandemic.
The project:
On the site of the Royal Liverpool Hospital, the 11-storey new build non-surgical cancer hospital means a revelation in accessibility and treatment types for the patients it serves across Cheshire, Merseyside and the surrounding areas.
CCL project managed the contract, construction and commissioning phases of the programme through lockdowns, the collapse of the Royal Liverpool’s PFI contractor and a major glazing contractor and significant design and installation changes to hand over to the Trust on 27th June 2020 the:
110 fully-single en-suite rooms
Radiotherapy bunkers
An array of major medical equipment including the UK’s only low-energy proton beam therapy machine
Imaging department
Chemotherapy treatment rooms
Aseptic Pharmacy
Challenges overcome: The new hospital was built within the PFI boundaries of the Royal Liverpool and was to be dependent on several key services from them. Carillion’s liquidation in January 2018 meant some significant changes needed to be made to designs and service provision; CCL worked with the contractors to agree and mitigate various programme changes including a temporary steam connection, the re-modelling of external landscaping, re-design and amended MEP services and drainage with no change to the final budget.
Also, originally the major medical equipment (2Nr Linear Accelerators, MRI, PET CT, Diagnostic CT, Pre-treatment CT, Multi-purpose Fluoroscopy and X-Ray) were all due to be installed post-contract, but this was accelerated to ensure the installation was completed within the Contract programme. (The Multi-purpose Fluoroscopy was a change from an X-Ray installation, which represented a £1.5 Million variation in itself.) CCL negotiated the detailed design and additional works involved with the enabling works, delivery and installation of the eight items above, to ensure that the equipment was ready for the Trust go-live date of 27th June 2020.
Patient and staff benefits:
The new therapies available, in a central location in the city meaning an easier journey for patients requiring the services of the Cancer Centre, will benefit patients across the UK.
The architects (BDP) used Virtual Reality to review design development with end users, allowing them real input into the design process – patient and staff feedback being that this worked really successfully and led to fewer design changes once construction had commenced – and therefore the associated costs of change management.
Key successes:
The Cancer Centre was delivered on programme, and on budget – with the commissioning phase cut from 4 months to 1 to achieve the targeted opening date.
Collaboration and teamwork between all parties in the face of some serious issues:
Cost advice led to additional funding secured from NHSE
Covid impacts mitigated by early engagement with specialist equipment providers
CCL worked with PropCare, LOR, BDP and AECOM over a period of 4 months to achieve an affordable GMP of £128.4 Million
Major MEP and medical gas modifications to allow the facility to be independent from the new Royal Liverpool Hospital – outwith the original design
Key details:
CCL’s Project and Programme management: NEC Stage 3 contract, Construction, Fit-Out, Completion and Close-Out
Client: Clatterbridge PropCare on behalf of the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust
Project value: £155 million, of which £130m was construction
Key Dates: Contract execution – January 2017; Construction – June 2017 to May 2020; Commissioning June 2020
CCL Key roles: NEC Project Manager; Technical compliance (structure)
