Location: Kent

Requirement: St. Martins Hospital, Canterbury needed to upgrade and increase the capacity of three of its wards.

Solution: Three modular building manufacturers were invited to tender for the contract to provide extensions on each of the wards. The proposal submitted by Portakabin offered high quality accommodation, in the shortest timeframe and at the best value.

Adrian Matthews, responsible for co-ordination between the East Kent NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust’s Project Management Team, the Clinical and Support Services at St Martins Hospital, and the Estates Department, said, ‘The timescale set for completion of this project was ambitious. The delivery of the completed modular extensions on time and within budget was an absolutely vital factor to its success. The layout of the Portakabin buildings matched the project specification perfectly.

Each high quality extension supplied by Portakabin provides accommodation for 11 patients and associated facilities including a store and drying room. An assisted shower/wet room has also been included. The Portakabin team worked closely with the Estates Project Design Team to ensure the building met all necessary requirements. Particular attention was given at the design stage to meeting all DDA access requirements and to ensure adequate patient observation facilities were provided for nurses. Portakabin was subsequently able to further reduce the timescale, and all three modular buildings were delivered and constructed ahead of the original schedule and fitted out to meet the Trust’s requirements.

Furthermore, the speed of delivery was in line with the unique Portakabin Customer Charter, which promises to deliver buildings on time and on budget. The Charter states that if Portakabin fails to deliver a project on time and to the agreed contract sum, the customer will be entitled to an additional six months product warranty.

This Charter provided the Partnership Trust and its Project Management Team with a high degree of confidence that the ward extensions would be completed within the agreed timescale. The building also came with the company’s pioneering warranty package, which includes a 20-year structural warranty and 5-year product warranty on the fixtures and fittings.

In addition, the Portakabin building has been linked to the main hospital to further enhance ease of use for patients.