Publish date: 17 December 2024
Groundworks will begin at Crewe’s Leighton Hospital in January 2025 ahead of the installation of a new modular building to be located next to the entrance of the Outpatients Department.
The building, which will be around 1,090sq m and is scheduled to arrive in early March, will house Audiology and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) services, which are due to relocate to the new facility by late summer 2025.
The move is due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) planks within the OPD roof. Remediation work is necessary to keep the hospital safe due to the presence of the RAAC.
The OPD remediation work will follow a rolling programme over two years. In addition to the work in the Audiology and ENT, work will also be undertaken in the OPD suites, the fracture clinic, phlebotomy, and the maxillofacial unit. However, services will continue in these locations while the remediation work is undertaken.
Whilst the OPD toilets have the works undertaken, temporary toilet facilities will be provided.
Once the modular building is operational it will have three audiology testing booths, nine consulting rooms, an ENT treatment room, and an ENT minor operations room.
Hoarding for the works will go up in early January to allow for the removal of the existing ENT cabins. During this time, the OPD main entrance and the physiotherapy entrance will be closed. Patients and visitors will be directed to access OPD and physiotherapy via the hospital’s main entrance following signage along the yellow corridor.
Additionally, three ambulance bays will be located outside of the Emergency Department to facilitate ambulance access whilst the OPD area is hoarded off.
In order to facilitate the installation of the modular building, the bus stop near the OPD entrance will move slightly forward from its current location.
RAAC, a lightweight precast concrete material, was commonly used in UK public sector buildings between the 1950s and 1990s.
For more information on RAAC remediation efforts at Leighton Hospital, please visit the dedicated RAAC page on the Trust’s website.
