Gleeds, the International Management and Construction Consultancy, has successfully completed the £14.3 million Frome Community Hospital project, the first of several projects on which Gleeds will be working for Somerset Primary Care Trust (SPCT).

Appointed as project managers, Gleeds assisted the Trust in choosing an appropriate procurement route, the ProCure21 framework, which enables NHS Trusts to select experienced, pre-qualified contractors with proven track records in the health sector without the need for Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) tendering. They also aided the SPCT in their selection of Laing O’Rourke as Principle Supply Chain Partner (PSCP).

Frome Community Hospital, recently opened by HRH the Countess of Wessex, provides a modern, welcoming and flexible facility for the delivery of first-class healthcare to the local community by utilizing digital x-ray and ultrasound equipment enabling specialist remote diagnosis and providing a renal dialysis unit and birthing suite as well as a minor injuries department, inpatients and integrated therapy services.

The hospital is the first of several SPCT project wins for Gleeds. These include a £20 million Community Hospital in Minehead which also involves an appointment to manage the implementation of a £5 million infrastructure scheme to prepare the site for its construction phase. This is due to commence in January 2009 with completion expected by September 2010.

Ian Miller, Managing Partner at Gleeds Bristol, said “We are delighted to be involved in the regeneration of Somerset’s Community Hospitals and the beginning of, what I’m sure will be, a successful relationship with the county’s Primary Care Trust. Our expertise in the health sector is increasingly being recognised and our appointment on these hospitals in both Frome and Minehead are testimony to the growing importance of this area of activity for Gleeds.”

Email: julian@barlowcomms.co.uk