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Healthcare

Princess Alexandra Hospital – Refurbishments

Actiform delivered a programme of M&E refurbishment works for Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow — demonstrating that the same rigorous, collaborative approach that underpins their modular builds applies equally to traditional healthcare refurbishment on a live clinical site.

Expertise
  • Mechanical and electrical refurbishment in live NHS environments
  • HTM-compliant M&E design, coordination and sign-off
  • Integrated in-house design and contractor management
Deliverables
  • Full M&E refurbishment completed in 10 weeks
  • HTM-compliant design with all derogations formally recorded and agreed
  • Complete commissioning documentation, as-built drawings and Bolster fire stopping report

Refurbishing mechanical and electrical services within a live hospital environment requires a level of planning and clinical awareness that goes well beyond a standard commercial M&E project. Work has to be sequenced around the Trust’s Authorised Persons (APs), safe isolation procedures must be developed and agreed before a single cable is touched, and every element of the design must meet HTM standards — with any derogations formally recorded, agreed, and signed off.

Challenge

Solution

  1. 01/

    Challenge

    Safe working in a live clinical environment requires more than standard construction site controls — the Trust’s own Authorised Persons must be involved in developing safe isolation methods before works can begin.

    Solution

    Actiform’s project manager worked directly with the Trust’s AP team at Harlow to develop a detailed programme of works and a safe method of isolation, taking into consideration every stage of the project and the day-to-day operational activity on site. Works only commenced once isolation procedures were fully agreed and documented.

  2. 02/

    Challenge

    M&E works in NHS environments must comply with Health Technical Memoranda (HTM) standards — with any derogations from those standards clearly justified, recorded, and formally approved.

    Solution

    Actiform’s in-house design team coordinated directly with the M&E design contractors, overlaying mechanical and electrical designs onto existing CAD drawings and checking for clashes before submission. Any HTM derogations were clearly outlined, recorded, and agreed with the Trust. All designs were signed off by Actiform’s Technical Design Manager before being submitted to the client for approval.

  3. 03/

    Challenge

    On a live hospital site, quality assurance during installation cannot be left to the individual subcontractors — the client needs confidence that standards are being maintained throughout, not just at handover.

    Solution

    Actiform’s site and project manager quality-checked all M&E installations throughout the programme, maintaining photographic evidence of mechanical and electrical services, containment, and fire stopping at every stage. At commissioning, a complete documentation package was delivered — including as-built drawings and a Bolster fire stopping report — giving the Trust full confidence in what had been installed.

Our Approach

Actiform operated as a single, integrated team — bringing their in-house design resource and M&E contractors together under one coordinated programme, with the client kept informed and in control throughout. The same discipline that drives Actiform’s modular delivery — early engagement, detailed programming, and rigorous quality assurance — was applied in full to a traditional refurbishment context, demonstrating a capability that extends well beyond off-site construction.

The Results

10weeks for full refurbishment programme

HTM compliantAll M&E works designed, installed and signed off to standard

100%Photographic quality evidence captured throughout installation

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