The 1800 m² Endoscopy Unit at Salmon Fields, a short distance from The Royal Oldham Hospital, comprises three endoscopy procedure rooms, four consulting rooms, a waiting room for around 20 people, recovery areas, and ancillary accommodation. An enclosed first floor plantroom is located towards the rear of the building.
MTX says its use of MMC principles and the precisely engineered structural steel units, pre-manufactured offsite while groundworks are under way, enables it to deliver high-quality healthcare facilities ‘faster, safer, greener and more cost-effectively’ than traditional building techniques.
The company explained that preparing foundations for the new two-storey Endoscopy Unit ‘presented particular challenges’ – involving the removal and disposal of a substantial quantity of contaminated soil at the former factory site. After thorough site investigations, MTX produced a detailed plan for dealing with the challenges and creating the foundations for the new unit. A retaining wall was constructed to buttress the sloping site, which included a basement area and a former reservoir, requiring specific measures to ensure effective site drainage.
While groundworks continued, MMC structural steel modules were manufactured off site to shorten the project duration, and craned into position at Salmon Fields ready for fit out.
MTX Project lead, Gareth Roberts, explained: “At MTX we have extensive experience dealing with the specific challenges of brownfield sites such as Salmon Fields. We worked closely with the structural engineer to find a cost-effective solution for the groundworks and remediation strategy, which was developed throughout the design stage.”
The new purpose-built facility will allow the Trust to offer more endoscopy procedures annually, helping to speed up diagnosis and treatment for patients. Oldham CDC, in Salmon Fields, Royton opened in December 2022, and has since served over 30,000 patients in the region.
Jude Adams, NCA Chief Delivery Officer, said: “We are delighted that our new unit is now open, creating that all-important additional capacity for our endoscopy services in the local area, and helping us meet national NHS targets. The unit has three endoscopy rooms, and will allow us to streamline the number of testing pathways, aiding with early diagnosis. Since the CDC opened almost two years ago, it has seen great success in providing rapid testing in the heart of the community, as well as giving us the ability to offer patients multiple tests in one visit if needed.”
The Oldham CDC is a commercial partnership between the NCA, which runs The Royal Oldham Hospital, and Alliance Medical, working alongside partners including Oldham Council, NHS Greater Manchester, and NHS England. It is one of the country’s largest out-of-hospital diagnostic centres.