MWD Healthcare has been appointed to build a major facility at University Hospitals Plymouth in its first NHS ProCure23 win. The partnership between Mace and Willmott Dixon secured a place earlier this year across all three lots of the healthcare framework.

Work on the new 17,000 m2 purpose-built Urgent and Emergency Care Centre at Derriford is planned to start in 2023. It will replace the current Emergency Department, offering new facilities for the most unwell patients as well as same day emergency care to reduce waiting times, particularly for people who need to be treated but not admitted to hospital.

The facility will include state-of-the art diagnostic equipment to support faster diagnosis, as well as new interventional radiology theatres and surgical theatres to be able to treat patients more quickly and improve patient outcomes.

Neal Stephens, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the West Country said:

“We’re delighted to be chosen for this major project, our first as part of the alliance with Mace for the Procure23 framework. This collaboration gives customers like University Hospitals Plymouth access to some of the best healthcare skills in the industry.

“Also, as a local company with offices in Exeter and Plymouth, we’re very much looking forward to being part of an exciting new chapter for Derriford to support the health needs of Devon, Cornwall and beyond. A major focus for us will be on ensuring our work sustains local jobs and supports SMEs across the region, as well as providing upskilling opportunities.”

Terry Spraggett, Managing Director for Mace Construction (Public Sector) said,

“We are delighted the partnership we set out on two years ago has now been awarded its first contract. We are excited to show how by working together, we can bring a fresh approach to construction delivery supporting University Hospital Plymouth NHS Trust and wider NHS ambitions.”

Stuart Windsor, future hospital director at University Hospitals Plymouth said: “We are really delighted to have partnered with Mace Willmott Dixon Healthcare to deliver this vital new facility for our patients, our staff and for the people of Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall, as part of the New Hospitals Programme.

“The new facility will give increased space to care effectively and efficiently for those people and enable us to treat patients from across Devon and Cornwall in a timely way. The facility is urgently needed to copy with the growing demand for urgent care services.

“Derriford Hospital is the largest specialist teaching hospital in the South West peninsula and the region’s maor trauma centre so we’re very pleased to make the announcement today about the appointment of our construction partner and take the next step on this important journey

“Finally, we would like to thank staff, patients, families and visitors for their support and patience as we work hard to minimise disruption during the enabling works to deliver the most up-to-date healthcare environment now and for the future.”

MWD Healthcare was appointed to all three lots of the NHS ProCure23 (P23) Framework in March this year, marking a significant step forward for collaborative construction in England’s healthcare sector. It sees the two UK contractors work together on NHS construction projects under a FAC-1 Framework Alliance Contract to bid for work across the three value bands identified by the framework: regional projects valued below £20m, projects between £20m to £70m and projects worth more than £70m.