To celebrate the final milestone, representatives from Morgan Sindall, and Deputy Mayor of Milton Keynes Paul Trendall, gathered in May to cut the ribbon and tour the new facility.
Delivered through Pagabo’s Major Works Framework, the Oak Wards expansion provides two new 24-bed wards. Each ward features four five-bed bays and four single bedrooms, alongside essential support spaces including utility rooms, offices, a ward kitchen, and staff facilities.
Designed across two storeys, the wards follow a simple rectangular layout centred around a nurse’s station, with large windows maximising natural light.
In line with Morgan Sindall’s commitment to sustainability, the new Oak Wards facility is heated by roof-mounted air source heat pumps, while the building’s façade, services, and insulation exceed current energy efficiency and thermal performance standards. In addition, a concrete frame was selected over steel to reduce embodied carbon.
At ground level, sustainable drainage systems, including swales and a rain garden, manage rainwater naturally. Landscaping works are aimed at achieving a 10 per cent biodiversity net gain through the planting of trees and wildflowers.
With the site located close to key hospital buildings, construction activities were carefully coordinated to minimise disruption to daily operations, particularly during the creation of a link adjacent to the hospital’s busy Emergency Department.
As part of Morgan Sindall’s 10 Tonne Carbon Challenge, the project team worked collaboratively to reduce construction-related emissions, achieving a saving of 45 tonnes of CO₂e. This was delivered through design changes including switching from piled to pad foundations, reducing concrete use by more than 50 per cent, and adopting a reinforced concrete frame in place of steel, cutting overall carbon emissions by 60 per cent. The use of 35 per cent Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag (GGBS) concrete further enhanced the project’s sustainability credentials.
Emma Curtis, area director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the Northern Home Counties, said: “It’s great to see Oak Wards now open and making a real difference for the hospital and local community here in Milton Keynes. We’ve worked closely with MKUH throughout the project to expand capacity and create a space that supports the way staff works day-to-day. Just as importantly, we’ve been able to deliver it in a more sustainable way and keep disruption to a minimum while the hospital continued its vital work.”
Joe Harrison, chief executive at MKUH NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The opening of Oak Wards is a major step forward for our hospital and the community we serve. Patients are now benefiting from this new environment which supports their dignity and recovery, and their early feedback has been extremely positive. Our teams are also enjoying the new modern facilities which will help them to deliver the best possible outcomes.
“Oak Wards represents a significant stage in our wider development programme which has seen MKUH invest over £85 million in estate projects during the last year. The new building and its facilities were shaped by local people and our staff, and I am very pleased to see their ideas brought to life.”