Kier, a leading provider of healthcare facilities, has handed over Royal Brompton Hospital’s new diagnostic centre (formerly known as the imaging centre) for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. This new specialist diagnostic facility provides MRI, CT, ultrasound, echocardiogram, interventional radiology, transoesophageal echocardiogram (TOE) and bronchoscopy scanning services under one roof for the Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals estate, which makes up the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK and is amongst the largest in Europe.

The new centre, which was procured through the ProCure22 (P22) framework, will enhance patients’ experience, allowing patients and staff to effortlessly move between buildings and clinical departments via a convenient and secure route. The state-of-the-art magnetic imaging resonance (MRI) scanners installed are the most advanced clinical MRI scanners on the market and will help increase diagnostic capabilities, reduce scanning times and improve overall patient experience. 

Working within an extremely tight footprint, sandwiched between two existing buildings, Kier undertook extensive enabling works followed by the construction of a double basement while structurally supporting the existing occupied hospital buildings either side and the highway to the front. Throughout construction, movement of the existing structures were carefully monitored to ensure that there would be no disruption to the live hospital environment.

David McKenzie, managing director at Kier Construction London, South & Strategic Projects, said: “We are delighted to hand over this state of the art imaging centre at Royal Brompton Hospital, enabling them to enhance their specialist diagnostics services whilst simultaneously increasing their education and research programmes.

“This project highlights our teams’ extensive experience and technical expertise in delivering complex healthcare facilities in live environments with extensive temporary works requirements.”

Piers McCleery, director of strategy and corporate affairs and diagnostic centre programme director, Royal Brompton and Harefield clinical group, said: “Part of our commitment to improving patient care involves providing the best facilities to deliver specialist heart and lung treatment, and research – and the new Royal Brompton Diagnostic Centre delivers on just that. This is one of the largest projects ever carried out at Royal Brompton and Harefield, and it would not have been possible without huge contributions of time and effort from a large number of our staff.”

This project completion reinforces Kier’s position as a leading provider of healthcare facilities and imaging centres. It is currently on site delivering the £98m transformation programme at Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot and the £87m project at Musgrove Park Hospital for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust to deliver a new surgical centre.