Morgan Sindall Construction has successfully completed a new 964-space Multi-Storey Car Park (MSCP) at North Manchester General Hospital (NMGH).
Image Credit: Morgan Sindall Construction
The contractor has delivered £36.5m of enabling works ahead of the wider rebuilding of the estate, including temporary car parking, asbestos removal, demolition and the new-build MSCP and Cycle Hub. The project was procured through the Procure Partnerships Framework.
The MSCP is now open to NMGH staff and will be fully open to the public in the coming months following Morgan Sindall’s completion of further external hard landscaping, including the installation of 36 electric vehicle charging points.
NMGH - located in Crumpsall, 3.5 miles outside Manchester city centre - is one of the hospitals to receive funding through the Government’s New Hospital Programme, backed by an initial £3.7bn to deliver 40 new hospitals across the country by 2030.
NMGH is at the heart of an exciting vision to improve health and wellbeing for local people over the next 10 to 15 years. Alongside health and care services fit for the 21st century, the redevelopment will provide the employment, housing and economic opportunities that are key to generating long term growth and prosperity for North Manchester.
The project, led by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust with Manchester City Council and the GM Integrated Care Board, will not only provide essential redevelopment to an estate in critical need of investment, but also serve as a catalyst for the wider economic regeneration of North Manchester.
In delivering this project, Morgan Sindall deployed its Intelligent Solutions approach to ensure minimal disruption to the hospital estate, ensuring departments could provide continuity in vital healthcare services for all patients and staff within the live hospital environment.
Morgan Sindall also delivered a comprehensive social value plan that has provided a significant return on investment into the local community. The plan, as well as addressing the specific local requirements of North Manchester communities, has also supported the Greater Manchester Living with Covid Resilience Plan. This included the creation of a Knowledge Quad on site – a multi-purpose training and learning facility located within a live construction environment. It delivers value by undertaking activities focusing on the four key areas of skills, education, employment, and discovery.
The Knowledge Quad also creates a vital link between industry and education, ensuring that curriculums align with employer requirements and that students, trainees and apprentices at all levels are provided with the relevant knowledge and skills to help them succeed.
A recruitment event held at the Knowledge Quad in January of this year resulted in a local Blackley man – who was looking for work in North Manchester after fifteen years of working away from home in the rail industry - finding work at engineering sub-contractor Imtech after being introduced by Morgan Sindall. He is one of 400 people supported into employment as a result of the project.
The project also saw 66 new job starts, with positions created for those furthest from the labour market. One ex-offender was employed by Morgan Sindall as a labourer via Footprint Recruitment and, following his training, is now a qualified banksman.
Morgan Sindall facilitated an educational partnership with the local North Ridge High School, which supports the diverse special educational needs of pupils between the ages of 11 and 19. Students attended the Knowledge Quad for numerous engagement sessions including painting the ‘Tree of Life’ mural which symbolises unity and inclusion. One student keen to develop her skills was offered a long-term, part-time work placement with Morgan Sindall’s site administrator to build new skills and confidence. This was one of 33 work experience placements offered throughout the project.
Overall social value highlights include:
- 66 job starts
- 52 apprenticeships undertaken
- 33 work experience placements completed
- 400 people supported on their pathway into employment
- 2,005 young people engaged through educational activities
- £18.2m spent with local businesses
- £23,000 shared with local community projects and causes
- 99 hours spent by Morgan Sindall’s team volunteering in the local community
During the project the Trust has used the Compliance Chain platform – a construction industry software solution for delivering successful projects - which has resulted in 57% return on investment of the contract value.
Shaun Jones, Greater Manchester area director for Morgan Sindall Construction, said:
“It has been a privilege for our team to deliver this important component in Trust’s inspiring vision for its estate. In the course of our time on site, we have focussed on ensuring exceptional quality for these new facilities while also using our expertise to work with the local community in order to deliver social and economic change. These works are the key to unlocking the wider masterplan for the hospital estate and we’re immensely proud to have contributed to a project which will be of huge significance for North Manchester for decades to come.”
Michelle Humphreys director of strategic projects at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said:
“This is so much more than just a car park. Not only does it provide a new, modern and safe facility for our staff, patients and visitors, the addition of electric vehicle charging and the cycle hub will encourage travel methods which reduce our carbon impact. The car park is one step closer to unlocking our vision to create a transformational development which will bring about generational change for the North Manchester community by creating new jobs, promoting healthy lifestyles, developing skills, and contributing to a zero-carbon environment for the benefit of the local neighbourhood and beyond. Successfully completing this important first stage serves to demonstrate our readiness and ability to deliver a modern, digitally enabled hospital and health campus under the New Hospital Programme.”
Pete Flint, senior project manager, Hive Projects said:
“The successful delivery of the MSCP and Cycle Hub is a significant milestone in the redevelopment of the North Manchester General Hospital site. Hive Projects are extremely proud to have supported the procurement and delivery of this project of all that has been achieved. In addition to this fantastic facility the team at Hive Projects, along with the Trust and Morgan Sindall, have consistently conducted educational initiatives such as school workshops, employability seminars, informative talks, and mentorship programmes in schools and sixth forms located within the local community.”
Natalie Palframan, Key Account Manager at Procure Partnerships Framework said:
“We are proud to have supported the procurement of North Manchester General Hospital’s multi-storey car park and cycle hub. The redevelopment programme - as part of the New Hospitals Programme - will boost the economic opportunities in North Manchester, creating new jobs whilst also significantly improving the health and care services at North Manchester General Hospitals. Morgan Sindall has supported the delivery programme with an impressive social value add, contributing to a zero-carbon environment for the benefit of the local community and beyond.”