Construction work is under way on Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) NHS Foundation Trust’s new Radiotherapy Centre which is due to be completed in spring 2024.
The centre, which will be located adjacent to the Cancer Centre on the MKUH site, will complete the cancer services offering available at the Trust, improving access to healthcare for Milton Keynes residents. Following the completion of construction, the building will be commissioned with specialised equipment and will open to patients later in 2024.
Currently, patients in Milton Keynes have to travel to neighbouring hospitals for radiotherapy treatment, with Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) being the local specialist site. This new facility will ensure patients will no longer have to make long journeys for their care, enabling them to have their treatment closer to home, which in turn enhances both the care and the experience they will receive.
Sally Burnie, Head of Cancer Services at Milton Keynes University Hospital, said:
“We are seeing some people having to make a hundred-mile round trip to access their radiotherapy treatment, and this can be for several weeks. To have this new centre for our patients and their families really is fantastic and having this service closer to home not only enhances their care but also drastically cuts travel and reduces their anxiety at a very difficult time.”
Morgan Sindall was selected by MKUH to oversee the construction of the multi-million-pound project, with their Northern Home Counties business managing the delivery of the programme on site.
Due to the specialised nature of the project, Morgan Sindall has devised tailored solutions in line with their intelligent solutions approach to construction. This included the need to create 2.6m thick concrete walls to prevent radiation leakage from the on-site radiotherapy equipment. In keeping with the organisation’s sustainability ambitions, low-carbon concrete will be used, saving the CO2 emissions equivalent of heating over 160 homes a year.
Due to the size of the walls and complexity of applying this quantity of concrete, a schedule of long pours has been designed so that the thickness will be achieved without compromising the quality of the concrete structure. Approximately 1,800 square metres of concrete will be used as part of this process, due to be completed by May 2023.
As part of the construction process, the building has been split into three blocks, with Block 3 (the bunker) leading the construction programme. Blocks 1 and 2 are more traditional construction methods consisting of suspended slab, a steel frame, metal deck and in-situ upper floor slabs, a felt roof and a render finish. The erection of the steel frame is the next key milestone in the construction programme, with is due to begin this month.
The majority of the mechanical and electrical services have been pulled through from the adjacent Cancer Centre and have been carefully considered and planned as part of the construction to minimise disruption to ongoing patient appointments and treatment.
David Rowsell, Northern Home Counties Area Director at Morgan Sindall, said:
“Once complete, the capabilities of the hospital’s new Radiotherapy Centre will provide an exceptionally valuable medical asset for the area and its people for many years to come.
“The state-of-the-art nature of this facility means that the construction has to account for a lot of unique challenges. Thanks to the expertise of our team and our proven ability to deliver highly complex healthcare projects, we’ve created a plan that will meet the hospital’s operational demands without affecting the site’s vital day-to-day work.”
The Radiotherapy Centre will house two state-of-the-art medical linear accelerator (Linac) bunkers and will include a main reception, consultation rooms and a CT scanner area. Direct internal access from the Cancer Centre will also be available, allowing patients to move between the two facilities as part of their treatment.
Joe Harrison, Chief Executive at Milton Keynes University Hospital, said:
“We are delighted to have started construction work on what will be a hugely significant facility for local people. Through developing radiotherapy services on site, this will complete our cancer services offering, improving patient outcomes and the experience that they receive while at our hospital.”
As with previous major construction projects that have taken place across the hospital site, Milton Keynes Hospital Charity will be supporting the development of the Radiotherapy Centre with a Radiotherapy Appeal – raising £500,000 to purchase an additional piece of clinical equipment which will help to ensure patients are seen and treated in a timely manner.
