Healthcare furniture manufacturer, Deanestor, has been awarded a £1.5m contract by Laing O’Rourke for the first phase of the £485m 3Ts redevelopment of Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

Under the terms of the contract, Deanestor will manufacture around 17,000 items of furniture for the project and will be fitting out 2,000 rooms across the new, purpose-designed 11-storey building.

Deanestor has a long-standing relationship with contractor, Laing O’Rourke, and architectural practice, BDP, and this latest contract follows the successful completion of fitout projects at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre Liverpool, The Grange University Hospital in Wales, and Dumfries and Galloway Hospital in Scotland, as well as furniture provided for a number of Nightingale hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commenting on the project, Will Tonkinson, managing director of Deanestor, said: “We are delighted to be working on our 18^th project for Laing O’Rourke.

“3Ts is a major redevelopment project, which will modernise Royal Sussex County Hospital and provide state-of-the-art accommodation to improve the patient experience and support the trust’s roles as a district general hospital, a specialist tertiary centre, a teaching hub, and a major trauma centre.”

Stage one of the redevelopment will create inpatient wards on the upper floors.

The majority of patients will have single en-suite rooms with sea views.

The lower floors will accommodate outpatient and diagnostic services in spacious, modern surroundings.

And public-facing services will be located on the first and sixth floors and will include main reception, waiting areas, retail units, a café, and welfare and wellbeing facilities.

The bespoke joinery package awarded to Deanestor includes a stunning 6m-diameter main hospital reception desk for welcoming patients and visitors, using natural walnut hardwood and veneers.

And 35 nurse stations and staff bases with solid surface finishes and wood grain fascias will be manufactured and installed across the building, together with 40 touchdown bases.

Deanestor is also manufacturing hospital furniture for all consulting rooms, patient bedrooms, and utility areas, including base and wall storage units with white Formica door fronts, adjustable shelving units – some with HTM71 tray inserts, and solid grade laminate worktops for patient bedrooms. 

In addition, the team will be fitting over 10,000 individual products procured by the trust, such as rack storage systems, dispensers, clocks, noticeboards, benching, and white goods.