New modular £4 million outpatients unit built at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester

The new outpatients unit is set to alleviate ‘unprecedented’ pressure on the hospital since the start of the pandemic.

The two-storey, 400 square metre modular building, made up of 14 units, has been delivered using off-site modern methods of construction, and will last for five years.

The ground floor will include eight consulting rooms for the surgical pre-assessment department, and the top floor will house office and support staff.

In a statement, the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust, which runs St Richard’s, said: “The facility will provide essential extra clinical capacity, assisting the Trust’s restoration and recovery plans for elective surgery and outpatients.

“Service moves made possible by the additional capacity will also enable the expansion of the hospital’s Urgent Treatment Centre, needed to relieve pressure on the Emergency Department which is seeing unprecedented attendances.

“The life span of the building will be limited to five years, in line with predicted time-frames to restore waiting lists to pre-pandemic levels, and is being funded as part of national investment in the NHS for this purpose.”

Building company Morgan Sindall Construction worked closely with the hospital trust throughout the project and recommended a modular unit ‘to align with the Trust’s financial, environmental and timescale goals’.

Guy Hannell, Morgan Sindall Construction’s Southern Home Counties area director, said: “We understand the great strain that UHSussex, like all hospitals across the country, has been under over the last couple of years, and we’re pleased that we’ve been given the opportunity to relieve some of that pressure by providing additional accommodation for St Richards Hospital site.

“The Morgan Sindall Construction Southern Home Counties team are experts in customer collaboration and engaging with key stakeholders, making us well-suited to delivering this project without disrupting the hospital’s vital everyday operations.”