Offsite construction specialist, Merit has launched a new health division to meet Government plans for new hospitals with enhanced infection control
Merit Health is a new healthcare division focussed on building hospitals faster, more cost-effectively and sustainably while also deploying enhanced infection control which can make wards Covid-19 safe.
Merit Health will use the company’s offsite manufacturing technology to reduce long-established building construction timelines, without compromising quality.
This approach will be critical in supporting the government’s pledge to build 40 new hospitals.
The North East-based company has already completed a number of projects within the health and life sciences sector, including expansion of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult manufacturing centre in Stevenage.
In addition, it is currently working on the ongoing construction of a state-of-the-art healthcare sterilisation facility for Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Merit Health will focus on accelerating projects of this kind to meet the demand for flexible, safe, and sustainable healthcare sites.
A typical acute facility takes 3-4 years to build, from inception to handover, whilst Merit’s offsite approach can deliver projects in half the time.
With 75-90% of the building manufactured at the 270,000 sq ft Merit factory near Newcastle, a combination of Merit standard designs, offsite technologies and shorter supply chains, accelerates the construction process.
Standardisation and MMC
Tony Wells, managing director at Merit, said: “The NHS will undergo a major upgrade of its estates, including the 40 hospitals programme and it is great the government has recognised the benefits of standardisation and the need to utilise modern methods of construction.
“With the innovative methods Merit employs, this can be done quicker, at lower cost, and with higher standards of infection control and zero carbon emissions.
“The government is only going to deliver its ambitious building programme if companies like Merit enter the fold and show how it can be done. This will also be a critical element towards achieving the NHS’ net Zero Carbon commitment which was announced last week.
“Our individual hospital bay ventilation and extraction technology also means no cross contamination, which is critical as the NHS continues to deal with Covid-19 as well as future potential pandemics.”
Building on the company’s long-standing expertise, Merit Health’s offering also suits the needs of facilities requiring superior infection control and containment, such as vaccine manufacture and advanced therapy units.
