Blueprint in Action: Building for What Comes Next

Emergency Care Building (ECB), Derriford Hospital

Sector:

Services:

  • Cost Management
  • NEC Supervisor
  • Project Management
  • Quantity Surveying

The £246m Emergency Care Building (ECB) at Derriford Hospital is transforming urgent and emergency care provision for University Hospitals Plymouth. Currently under construction, the multi-storey facility will increase capacity, improve patient flow and support modern models of healthcare delivery, due to complete 2029.

 

What makes the project particularly significant is the environment in which it is being delivered. Located just three metres from the hospital’s main entrance, approximately 30 metres from a live helipad and adjacent to one of Plymouth’s busiest transport interchanges, construction is taking place while critical healthcare services continue to operate around the clock.

The Challenge, So Far

Delivering a major healthcare facility within a fully operational hospital requires far more than traditional project delivery.

The site handles more than 1,400 vehicle movements and serves one of Plymouth’s busiest bus depots. More than 3,000 patients, visitors and staff use the hospital’s main entrance every day, while emergency services require uninterrupted access at all times.

The environment is inherently unpredictable. Ambulance arrivals can vary significantly, with between 10 and 50 vehicles accessing the site on any given day, while helicopter landings can occur anywhere from once a day to as many as 10-20 times. Each landing requires immediate coordination between emergency services and construction activities, including the temporary suspension of crane operations.

Construction activity therefore needed to remain flexible enough to respond to live operational pressures while maintaining programme, cost and safety objectives. At all times, patient care, emergency access, staff movement and public safety had to be protected without slowing project progress.

Our Solution, So Far

We are providing Project Management, Cost Management, Quantity Surveying and NEC Supervisor services, supporting the project from business case development through to delivery. As Project Manager and Cost Consultant, we worked as part of the NHS project team to develop the Full Business Case (FBC), coordinating design, clinical, technical, commercial and operational inputs to create a robust, costed and deliverable proposal aligned with New Hospital Programme, DHSC and HM Treasury requirements.

To support delivery, we developed a comprehensive construction phase strategy that aligned hospital operations with construction activity from the outset. Working closely with University Hospitals Plymouth, Devon Air Ambulance, South Western Ambulance Service, local authority stakeholders and the wider project team, we established clear protocols for emergency access, patient movement, transport management and helicopter operations.

The strategy considered emergency vehicles, patient and visitor routes, staff access, contractor logistics and operational interfaces across the live hospital estate. By identifying these constraints early, we created a delivery framework that reduced risk, supported clinical continuity and gave the Trust confidence that essential healthcare services would remain protected throughout construction.

An additional bus lane was introduced ahead of works commencing on site, helping maintain safe and efficient access for buses, emergency services and hospital users.

To manage the proximity of the live helipad, detailed “down-tool” procedures were implemented. When a helicopter is due to land, agreed protocols are activated, crane operations are paused and construction activity is safely suspended until the aircraft has landed and the patient transfer process is complete.

Combined with a strong on-site presence, these measures have enabled rapid decision-making, proactive risk management and real-time coordination throughout delivery.

Key Outcomes, So Far

Despite operating within one of the South West’s most challenging live healthcare environments:

  • Emergency access has been maintained throughout construction.
  • On track to achieving BREEAM Excellent.
  • Live hospital operations have continued alongside major building works.
  • More than 1,400 daily vehicle movements have been safely managed through and around the site.
  • Access has been maintained to the hospital’s main entrance, used by over 3,000 people every day.
  • Helicopter landings have been successfully coordinated alongside live crane operations.
  • Clinical and end-user requirements have been embedded into the developing facility through structured stakeholder engagement.
  • Construction progress has been maintained while protecting patient care and operational continuity.

Our Impact, So Far

The Emergency Care Building demonstrates a core principle of Our Blueprint for the Future of Healthcare Estates Construction: creating the infrastructure needed for tomorrow’s healthcare while protecting the services patients rely on today.

By balancing operational resilience with long-term investment, the project is demonstrating how complex healthcare estates can evolve without compromising clinical continuity. Through careful planning, stakeholder collaboration and real-time operational management, critical services have continued uninterrupted while a major new emergency care facility takes shape around them.

Once complete, the ECB will strengthen emergency care provision across Plymouth, improving capacity, patient experience, operational efficiency and the long-term resilience of healthcare services across the region.

Other Healthcare Projects

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New Hospitals Programme

We have been appointed by University Hospitals Dorset to help deliver a series of building and infrastructure projects. These projects will transform the existing estate and provide additional acute and planned care facilities, serving both Bournemouth and Poole patients.

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Since 2024, we have supported University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust with the delivery of the Dartmoor Building, a new purpose-built, three-storey outpatient facility at Derriford Hospital. 

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