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Healthcare

Princess Alexandra Hospital – Adult Assessment Unit

Actiform designed, manufactured and installed a two-storey modular Adult Assessment Unit for Princess Alexandra Hospital — connecting into the existing hospital with 24 inpatient beds, consulting and procedure rooms, and a large assessment ward. Delivered in full compliance with HTM/HBN guidelines, on a live hospital site, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Expertise
  • Two-storey modular clinical building connected to existing hospital infrastructure
  • HTM/HBN-compliant design with full planning and Building Control management
  • Complex live hospital site logistics and stakeholder engagement
Deliverables
  • Ground floor: main entrance, consulting rooms, procedure and ultrasound rooms, large open plan assessment ward
  • First floor: 6 x 4-bed wards, 4 x single en-suite bedrooms, nurse stations on both floors
  • Plant rooms with sound attenuation on each floor, link bridge to existing hospital

Princess Alexandra Hospital needed a dedicated Adult Assessment Unit to transform their clinical emergency care model — giving the Trust a purpose-built space to assess patients more effectively without adding pressure to existing departments. The build was underway on a live, fully operational hospital site when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, placing the hospital under maximum pressure and creating an urgent, immediate need for additional inpatient ward capacity ahead of the original programme.

Challenge

Solution

  1. 01/

    Challenge

    Connecting a new two-storey modular building into an existing operational hospital requires precise coordination with the Trust at every stage — from planning approvals through to structural tie-in — with no room for decisions made in isolation.

    Solution

    Actiform handled all planning applications and Building Control throughout the project, working with the Trust to ensure all design decisions were approved before implementation. Sound attenuating measures were designed into the structure and air handling systems to account for plant rooms on each floor, and all works were delivered in full compliance with HTM/HBN guidelines.

  2. 02/

    Challenge

    Working on a live hospital site means that staff, patients, and members of the public must maintain safe access to nearby buildings at all times — with zero tolerance for disruption to clinical operations.

    Solution

    Actiform developed detailed access plans, logistics plans, and delivery programmes from the outset, with comprehensive stakeholder engagement in the early stages to surface access requirements and constraints that might otherwise have been missed. All plans were developed with other hospital users in mind and formally approved by the Trust before any work commenced.

  3. 03/

    Challenge

    When the Covid-19 pandemic escalated in early 2020, the hospital urgently needed additional inpatient ward space — far sooner than the original programme had anticipated. At the same time, Actiform’s own factory suffered a Covid outbreak, forcing a 2-week shutdown of manufacturing operations.

    Solution

    Despite the factory closure, Actiform recovered the programme and delivered the first floor and link bridge to the hospital ahead of schedule — enabling the Trust to accept Covid patients at a moment of critical national need. This was a direct application of Actiform’s Business Continuity Plan, and a demonstration of what a committed, experienced delivery team can achieve under genuine pressure.

Our Approach

Actiform’s involvement was end-to-end: from planning applications and design development through to manufacture, installation, and handover. The project was delivered in close partnership with the Trust’s estates and clinical leads, with all design decisions formally approved before implementation and a programme built around the operational realities of a busy hospital site.

The Covid pandemic fundamentally changed the context mid-project — and Actiform adapted, recovered, and delivered ahead of schedule where it mattered most. The quote from Pasqualino Risi, Associate Director of Estates and Facilities, reflects a relationship built on trust, flexibility, and a shared commitment to the hospital’s clinical mission.

The Results

24beds delivered

6Wards

4single en-suites

Working closely with our estates and clinical leads, Actiform supported the design and build of a new modular emergency care unit at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow. The team helped us move away from traditional, siloed structures towards a flexible, technology-enabled space, working hand in hand with our design team to deliver a future-focused build, fully integrated into hospital operations.

Pasqualino Risi

Associate director of Estates and Facilities, Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust