St Bartholomew’s Hospital

Clifford Devlin were appointed by the Trust to remove asbestos containing materials (ACMs) identified in surveys of the Out Patients Building and Residential Staff Quarters.

The works were required to enable the demolition of these buildings as part of Phase 3 of the 10-year, £1bn PFI scheme which involves a combination of retention, refurbishment and new-build at both Bart’s and the Royal London Hospitals in Central London.

Clifford Devlin won a competitive tender to deliver the removal package for both buildings. A series of pre-start meetings were arranged during the 4-week lead-in period with various members of the project team to plan this particularly complex project.

The buildings remained semi-occupied for most of the 8-month programme and so required very careful planning to sequence the works to work-around occupants and live services.

Almost all of the asbestos containing material found in both buildings were notifiable so the HSE needed to be informed 14-days before the works commenced. We prepared and submitted 45 separate notifications and plans of work for each package as the project progressed.

Both buildings were decontaminated concurrently. In the Out Patients Building works progressed on a floor-by-floor basis starting in the basement where extensive pipe insulation and debris in floor voids was located. ACMs were removed using fully-controlled conditions i.e. removal carried out inside airtight enclosures fitted with negative pressure units to prevent the emissions of fibres.

Testimonial:

Clifford Devlin’s experience and understanding of the unique challenges involved in working in healthcare environments whilst pro-actively listening and responding to these constraints allows them to plan and deliver even complex projects without unduly disrupting our day-to-day operations.

Martin Lee, Associate Director of Construction, Barts Health NHS Trust