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Meet Adrian Eggleton – Strategic Advisor to Darwin Group

We are pleased to welcome Adrian, former NHS England Operational Lead for Estates and Facilities, who is supporting Darwin Group as a strategic advisor.

His extensive operational and leadership experience in the sector will further enhance our ability to meet the needs of health and care providers now and into the future. Adrian will be joining us on the Darwin Group stand at NHS Providers conference and exhibition in Liverpool next Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 November, so come and find us to say hello.

RBH breaks ground on new Coast Building

A group of people in PPE standing on a building site. They are holding a sign showing an artist's impression of the new Coast building at RBH.

Royal Bournemouth Hospital has started the main construction phase on the Coast Building, a state-of-the-art ward and catering block, that will expand patient capacity and elevate University Hospital Dorset’s services as part of the national New Hospital Programme.

The Coast Building will feature 110 new beds across four levels, a larger kitchen and catering facility, and modular, adaptable spaces designed to meet evolving healthcare needs. Spanning 10,800 square meters, the facility also reflects a commitment to sustainability, with renewable energy supported by photovoltaic panels.

New-look modular mental health bedroom earns praise at industry conference

Louis Sullivan, Darwin Group's Principal Architect, giving a presentation with a large digital screen in the background

Industry experts and service users have welcomed changes to Bedroom Evolved; a pioneering modular mental health bedroom built by healthcare construction firm Darwin Group. The firm recently showcased its new-look project at the Design in Mental Health Conference for a second year running and said feedback from visitors was very positive.

New surgical centre at Southmead Hospital takes shape

Architectural render showing how the surgical centre will look from the outside, once completed.

The external structure of the new Elective Centre at Southmead Hospital has now been completed. More than 200 modules have been lifted into place by a crane over six weeks to create the building structure. The centre is a joint project between North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW), supported by Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care Board.

‘Spaces are powerful’ – Creating spaces for greater staff and patient experiences

Thumbnail image of Raffaela Goodby with blue detailing

Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to improving the wellbeing of your workforce, the evidence base on the most effective initiatives and approaches is constantly evolving. This can provide a useful basis for reviewing the approach and making decisions as we know how important it is to retain our valued NHS workforce.

‘Working environments and break out spaces are key,’ says Raffaela Goodby, Chief People Officer at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Reimagining Estates Funding: In Partnership with NHS Confederation

Upward angled exterior view of the ward building. The cladding is blue and white and there are multiple windows on both floors. At one end there is a 3-storey tower.

Capital is a scarce resource in the NHS, yet high in demand. Existing estates are deteriorating, creating a potentially unsafe and uninviting environment for patients and staff.

But with limits on funding and an ever-changing landscape for providing care, how will the NHS meet current demands, accommodate changing needs and continue to reduce backlogs in care, all while providing outstanding patient care? Darwin Group recently partnered with the NHS Confederation to deliver a webinar on these issues.

A dramatic yet thoughtful evolution for mental health treatment

Sketch and computer render of a design for a modern mental health treatment bedroom, it also shows the 'outdoor room' concept of the design.

Darwin Group Principal Architect Louis Sullivan and his team have poured a lot into a very important project. The team first unveiled ‘Bedroom Evolved’ at last year’s Design in Mental Health Conference and it will be returning for this year’s event.

Could a new way of funding healthcare estates be the shot in the arm the NHS has been looking for

A theatre nurse in full PPE, scrubbing up ready for surgery. Behind them is a large, medical grade sink and a yellow wall.

With NHS repair backlogs reaching record levels, and the future of the new hospitals programme facing an uncertain future, leading modular construction firms Darwin Group and Portakabin bosses are calling for a rethink around how healthcare estates are planned and funded.

Darwin Group and Portakabin have combined their strengths to deliver excellence in modern healthcare environments.

Healthcare Focus: Misconceptions of modular construction

A bird's eye view of a construction site during module install. In the foreground, a large crane is lifting a module into position.

We put the spotlight on Production Director Adrian Mitchell to talk about the misconceptions of modular construction and why more and more healthcare estates are choosing it over traditional building methods.

Stick-built or traditional construction has long been the standard within the industry. However, modular buildings have gained popularity in recent years as a flexible, sustainable and cost-effective option for various applications. But according to Adrian Mitchell, there are still some common misconceptions that can cause confusion or hesitation when considering modular as an option.

Work starts on new £49 million Elective Centre at Southmead Hospital

Jim Pierce, the deputy CEO of Darwin Group, handing over a ceremonial ground breaking spade to the team at Southmead Hospital.

The Elective Centre is a joint project between North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) supported by Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board and NHS England. It will enable an additional 6,500 operations to be carried out across the area every year.

Why NHS winter pressures could be the worst ever this year – and how we can help

Two ambulances driving past a hospital ward at night time.

As the seasons change and we begin the march into autumn, experts are warning the NHS could be heading into its worst ever winter. With new strains of Covid already widely reported, some people are calling for mask wearing to be reintroduced in certain settings. A potential increase in infections coupled with the Government decision to reduce this winter’s Covid and flu immunisation programme has left experts concerned about capacity. But it’s not too late to think about tackling the problems on the horizon. 

Acute Medical Unit – Wye Valley Trust

A picture of the Acute Medical Unit from outside. It is night time and the lights are on. There are cars in front of the building. In the foreground is a helicopter landing pad.

Wye Valley NHS Trust instructed Darwin Group to create a fast-track 24-bed ward, complete with five four-bed bays, four single-bed rooms, nurse bases, utility rooms, clinical disposal rooms, a pharmacy and associated ancillary spaces.

Ambulance Receiving Centre – Wolverhampton

The inside of the Ambulance Receiving Centre. The room is predominantly white. Bed bays line both sides, but only the seven bays on the left hand side are clearly visible. Each bay has a blue mattress on a hospital bed, a blue curtain to act as a divider and a frosted window for light.

Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital had its winter pressures eased thanks to a new Ambulance Receiving Centre (ARC) that
was constructed by Darwin Group in just
18 days onsite.

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust – ICU and general ward

External three-quarter view of the two-storey hospital building at Airedale. The external classing is white with blue and grey stripes and there are windows at regular intervals on both floors. To the left is the building entrance, with a long, gentle ramp running up to the doors. In the foreground and leading off to the right is a tarmac walkway. The sky is blue and dotted with white clouds.

The Trust approached Darwin Group with an urgent need to construct new ICU accommodation and general ward facilities due to the presence of RAAC within the existing hospital estate. The Trust had the crucial requirement of managing capital expenditure within a critical timeline, which necessitated a fast-track programme and a budget that should not be exceeded.

Mid Cheshire NHS Foundation Trust 60 bed ward

A three-quarters overhead view of the new ward building at Leighton Hospital, showing a range of plant machinery on the roof. This includes four photovoltaic solar panel arrays and a number of HVAC and air-conditioning units. Surrounding the new ward building are the older brick buildings of the hospital estate. The new ward building is finished in blue, grey and white cladding.

Darwin Group was able to utilise the company’s innovative modular build systems to provide a new 60 bed two-storey ward building featuring a mixture of single and multi-bed bays, complemented with ancillary accommodation – utility spaces, storage and staff areas – and a specialist physiotherapy space.

Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratories in Basingstoke

A wide angle view of a cardiac catheterisation laboratory/ At the rear there is an orange door. Storage units and medical equipment are around three sides of the room. In the centre there is a bed for patients along with a range of diagnostic equipment.

The Trust commissioned Darwin Group to build two new cardiac catheterisation labs to replace an outdated lab and a temporary facility at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital – the first modular build of its kind in the country. 

New ward and ICU wins project of the year award

The project team collecting their award at the HEFMA Awards 2022

On Thursday 12th May, Health, Estates and Facilities Management Association (HEFMA), hosted its annual award ceremony in Milton Keynes. AGH Solutions (Airedale NHS Foundation Trust) was awarded ‘Project of the Year’ at the awards for their £15m modular build project that Darwin Group Ltd is delivering.

The project includes a new 15-bed intensive care unit (ICU) and 30-bed ward onsite at Airedale Hospital. AGH Solutions worked hard with Darwin Group Ltd to deliver the project designed to tackle the RAAC risk, the remedial works necessary to keep the building safe, and the development of a 3500m2 ICU and 30-bed ward, which is the first known all-electric inpatient unit in the NHS.

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