Work is underway to transform minor injury units at three Kent hospitals into urgent treatment centres.

Significant upgrades to units at Victoria Memorial Hospital in Deal, Royal Victoria Hospital in Folkestone, and Sevenoaks Hospital are providing additional medical space and modern facilities.

The upgrades include improvements to ventilation; new lighting; flooring; and upgraded waiting areas with disabled access.

In addition, a new therapy kitchen has been installed on the inpatient ward at Sevenoaks Hospital to enable elderly and vulnerable patients to readapt to home life before leaving the wards following treatment.

Fleur Cromarty, head of estates capital projects at Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT), said: “The upgrades to these hospitals have been very well received and have allowed our clinical staff to continue to deliver their high standards of care in a modern environment with improved facilities throughout. 

“The pandemic has been a challenge since it began, but we were able to complete the works while continuing to provide patient care throughout the duration.” 

Property and construction consultancy, Ingleton Wood, provided full multi-disciplinary services for the project, including the creation of feasibility reports for all three sites to determine the scope of the work and ensure that all requirements from the initial brief could be carried out within the given budget.

And stricter hygiene measures remaining in place as a result of the pandemic, meant it was required to upgrade the ventilation systems across all three hospitals to allow for a constant flow of fresh air throughout the units to improve the quality of the air and reduce the spread of viruses.

Mark Reeves, senior associate quantity surveyor at Ingleton Wood, said: “Despite many challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to constraints in the budget, we were able to manage many different challenges and make any alternations to the plan as required."