Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals team honoured at national awards

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH) has won the Estates and Facilities Team of the Year award at the Building Better Healthcare Awards.
 Ariel photo of Bassetlaw Hospital, showing completed roof and ongoing Bassetlaw Emergency Village works.

The Building Better Healthcare Awards honour the outstanding efforts of estates and facilities teams in healthcare organisations, including both in-house and contracted services. This acknowledgment encompasses various aspects of healthcare facility management, such as cleaning, catering, infection control, and estate functions.

Dr Kirsty Edmondson-Jones, Director of Innovation and Infrastructure at DBTH, expressed her excitement about the win, saying: “I am delighted that the Capital Planning Unit has been recognised in this way. This award reflects the hard work and innovation of our colleagues, and the monumental efforts put forward to ensure all elements of RAAC were removed from our sites as soon as possible.”

RAAC panels were initially considered a modern building material and were installed as a lightweight roofing solution at Bassetlaw Hospital in the 1980s. However, recent issues in different parts of the country has led to a national program for their replacement. After extensive surveys, DBTH found its RAAC panels to be in excellent condition but still replaced them as part of the country-wide initiative. The Trust received £15.944 million in funding to complete the replacement project by early to mid-2023.

The comprehensive replacement project, which took place at Bassetlaw Hospital, was carried out in partnership with Integrated Health Projects (IHP) and required the relocation of theatres into three temporary modular units. Remarkably, the site maintained full operational functionality of services throughout the project, ensuring minimal disruption to patient care.

Suzy Brain England OBE, Chair of the Board at DBTH, commented on the team’s achievement, saying: “The Capital Planning Unit plays an incredibly important and vital role in ensuring the smooth and safe development of our hospitals. This recognition is well-deserved, and their dedication to excellence is commendable. A huge well done to all involved.”

The Building Better Healthcare Awards took place on 1 November in London.

Andy White, Head of Capital Infrastructure, as the RAAC was completed.