Morgan Sindall has started construction work on a new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Newmarket Community Hospital.

A ceremony saw representatives from West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT), Morgan Sindall Construction, JSH, Sweco and KLH gather to mark the occasion. To celebrate the start of this phase Dr Ewen Cameron, chief executive of the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, turned the first part of the ground.

Morgan Sindall's Eastern Counties business was appointed to the WSFT's project via the Procure 23 (P23) framework for the design and construction of NHS capital projects. It is expected that the construction phase of the new CDC, which includes the demolishing of an existing building, will be fully completed by October 2024, and that the first patients will be seen by the end of this year.

The tier one contractor has employed its Intelligent Solutions approach during the design and construction of the 1,000 sq m. new build CDC. This will see Morgan Sindall utilise modern building techniques, such as off-site manufacturing, to speed up the construction process and deliver a factory quality finish. Green building aspects will also be incorporated into the new facility to align with the Trust’s environmental goals.

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Air source heat pumps will provide the CDC with an efficient source of heating and hot water. The building’s temperature will also be regulated through constant air volume (CAV) heating and cooling and heat recovery units to ensure consistent and efficient temperature control.

123 photovoltaic (PV) panels will be installed as part of the scheme. Along with other features, this will generate at least 46% of the CDC's energy, 36% above the original target, showcasing the Trust’s commitment to building for the future in a sustainable way.

The Newmarket CDC, which forms part of a national programme to improve local access to diagnostic testing, will provide patients living in the west of the region with quicker and faster access to a wide range of tests, such as MRI, CT, X-ray, ultrasound, lung function and cardiology. This means waiting times will be reduced for patients, and a decrease in the length of time between being referred for tests, having appointments, getting results, and beginning any necessary treatment.

Investing in the Newmarket Community Hospital site is a commitment of the WSFT and with almost £15m of funding secured from the national CDC programme, this project will help reduce health inequalities in the region by providing patients with access to the care they need, closer to where they live.

Alister Broadberry, Morgan Sindall’s Eastern Counties area director said: "Community is always at the heart of everything we do at Morgan Sindall, so collaborating with the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust to deliver a modern, tailored facility that brings key services closer to the local area is a project that the team and I are really excited about.

"Our sustainability focused approach to construction matches the Trust’s environmental commitment, which has seen us work together to drive down emissions. For example, the use of offsite manufacturing will cut emissions and waste during the CDC’s construction while technologies such as air source heat pumps and PV panels will enable the facility to operate sustainably on a day-to-day basis."