The main hospital building at Bassetlaw Hospital dates back to 1976, with blocks 47 and 43 (mental health facilities and theatres respectively) built with what is known as reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
Considered a revolutionary new building material at the time, RAAC panels were installed as a lightweight roofing solution but recent issues have arisen in parts of the country leading to a national programme of replacement. Following extensive surveys, it was found that the panels installed at Bassetlaw were in very good condition, however these are to be replaced as part of a national initiative. Consequently, the Trust have received funding of £15.944 million to replace the affected roofs by 31 March 2023.
The significant replacement works will require theatres to be relocated into three temporary modular units which will be placed into the existing car park outside Clinical Therapies, with a link corridor into the main building. This will allow our Theatre services to remain fully operational. The work is being undertaken in partnership with Integrated Health Projects (IHP).
To enable access the site’s roof and store materials, the construction team will also, temporarily, take over the visitor car park at the front of the main entrance of the hospital and also an alteration to the ambulance entrance/exit at the front of the hospital and a patient ‘drop off’ area is being created in close proximity to Emergency Department front door.
New temporary signage will also be installed to ensure that visitors and staff are directed to the new locations.
Finally, a new car park is being constructed at the north of the hospital site which is to compensate for the loss of visitors parking at the main entrance. New accessible parking has been created from existing parking bays outside of Clinical therapies and the maternity entrance.
Andy White, Head of Capital Projects at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: “There will be substantial works ongoing at Bassetlaw Hospital for the next six or so months as we remove RAAC panels from our buildings – and we apologise in advance for any inconvenience created by this project”
“In the planning of this maintenance, we have worked closely with colleagues from our Emergency Department, East Midlands Ambulance Service and other key stakeholders. The project team has also engaged significantly with colleagues from our Estates and Facilities team, as well as compliance, parking and fire safety advisors within the Trust to ensure minimal impact to visitors and patients. Nonetheless some disturbance is unavoidable, so we thank you for your patience as we carry out this work. The work is due to be completed by March/April 2023.”
In addition to this work, in early 2020, following a visit to Bassetlaw Hospital from the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, £17.6m was announced in support of a proposal by from the Trust to create an Emergency Village at Bassetlaw Hospital.
The development will increase the size of the Emergency Department (ED) and provide more accessible same day services, including the provision of 24/7 emergency paediatric services. Works are due to begin directly following the RAAC replacement project, and anticipated to take around 12 months, completing in spring 2024.