Pioneering construction firm Darwin Group and Prime invited key delivery partners to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony as construction commenced on the new diagnostic centre at Yeovil District Hospital.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Peter Lewis was joined at the ceremony by clinicians, radiology and endoscopy service providers InHealth and funders M&G Investment.

The centre, expected to open in late 2024, will provide over 70,000 diagnostic tests and outpatient appointments annually.

The modern state-of-the-art, stand-alone centre on the hospital site will benefit patients in Somerset and northwest Dorset who will receive quicker diagnostic tests thanks to the additional capacity provided by the centre. Open seven days a week, it will provide radiology, endoscopy, cardiology and audiology diagnostic tests and outpatient appointments.

Thanks to Darwin Group’s innovative offsite modular construction methods, the project will be delivered up to 60 per cent faster and with up to 90 per cent less waste than traditional building methods, making it one of the most efficient and sustainable options in the marketplace.

Through close collaboration, Prime and Darwin Group designed and developed a high-performing, sustainable, low-energy new build, meticulously designed to achieve net zero embodied carbon. It’s projected to yield an impressive biodiversity net gain of 267%. The facility will take shape quickly with 73 modules being delivered and installed overnight over eight days, transforming the estate at pace whilst minimising disruption to the busy active hospital site.

Leighton Chumbley, Chief Executive at Prime, said: “Prime has been proud to work in partnership with Yeovil District Hospital since 2014 and more recently with Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

“We have delivered several transformational projects including the multi-storey car park opposite the main entrance and keyworker housing at Goldcroft.

“Patient and staff experience is at the forefront of the work we do. Yeovil Diagnostic Centre will not only enhance health outcomes in the region but also enrich the local area by being a model of sustainable construction.”