A new ambulance base to help provide urgent care for premature babies has opened at Warrington, serving the whole of the North West.
NHS Property Services (NHSPS) has announced the successful acquisition and fit-out of the new ambulance base for Connect North West at Gemini Business park- a neonatal transportation service, delivered by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), North West Neonatal Operational Delivery Network and St John Ambulance.
NHS England identified the need for a new site and, in response to the higher activity levels NHSPS secured a lease on the new unit, as well as £1 million in capital funding for the required upgrades.
Working closely with MFT, NHSPS procured a design team and contractors to create a facility that meets the specific needs of the neonatal transport service.
The ground floor of the unit houses four ambulances, an incubator service/store area, a deep clean facility, an education room and a quiet room. A kitchen, changing rooms, showers and WCs were some of the improvements made for NHS colleagues.
Throughout the project, NHSPS held regular meetings with the customers to ensure they were updated. And NHSPS will provide full property management services at the new site, ensuring that it remains a top-tier facility.
The move to this new, purpose-built facility will allow for more efficiency and flexibility. Finally, the relocation will free up valuable space at Liverpool Women’s Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital, further benefiting patient care in the region.
Mark Lloyd, Regional Capital Projects Lead at NHSPS, said: “We’re truly proud of this partnership with MFT and the many benefits the new site will bring for patients. It’s projects such as this that underscore NHSPS’s commitment to supporting the NHS and enhancing healthcare infrastructure across the UK.”
Kathy Cowell OBE DL, Chairman of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “For seven years, our trust has proudly run Connect Northwest, which manages to care for over 2000 babies’ year. Alfie is just one of many who have been supported by this transportation network, and it was so moving to hear of the profound impact that this has had on his and his mother’s life.”
Kimberley Salmon-Jamieson, Group Chief Nursing Officer at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The new base for Connect North West marks excellent progression for maternity services and will be a huge benefit to over 25 hospitals across North West England and North Wales. It can be stressful for families when hospitals have to make the decision to transfer premature babies, and our incredible team of experts and highly specialised equipment means that this can be done in the safest way possible to support the babies and their families. Connect North West plays a vital role in ensuring that more people in our surrounding regions, especially those in more remote areas, can be cared for as effectively as possible”.
The base has previously been granted planning permission by Warrington Borough Council planners.
