Community Hospital – Car park/ MRI Bay
A Community Hospital West of London is well versed in dealing with emergencies; however, it was the hospital itself which needed a major operation. The team at Slatter Estates Surfaces (SES) were approached on the Wednesday afternoon when the hospital’s original contractor had let them down. A new specialist portable Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning machine was due for imminent delivery and a rapid and appropriate redesign of the car park was required for it to fit. The SES team mobilised the following week to ensure the Hospital’s new MRI scanner would be in place to help those most in need.
Upon arriving at the hospital it became clear that the design of the car park would not be suitable for the portable scanner to be delivered. The team had their work cut out for them in a constantly changing environment and with strict deadlines. Working with the main contractor, facilities department and the client, the team set about redesigning the layout of the car park with all the specialist requirements of such a project.
The SES team were able to overcome the challenges with a range of innovative solutions as part of redesigning the layout. The delivery of the MRI scanner was on a trailer which would need access to the disabled parking bays. This was not envisaged in the original plans, so the Slatter Estates Surfaces team removed one kerb completely and added a hatched no parking area. This allowed the easy and safe delivery and removal of the MRI machine. Safe access to the unit is essential for patients, some with various ailments that require the use hospital beds or wheelchairs for mobility. This would not normally present a challenge to our experienced team, however the electrical supply for the MRI scanner had already been laid, but with only 8m length of connection cable. This left extremely tight tolerances such that the position of the drop kerbs needed to be precisely installed to allow access for the trailer unit.
The final challenge for the project was the depth of the existing tarmac surface, which was not a standard depth at some 200mm + deep. This was most challenging when the SES team changed the original design of the security bollards. The bollards of the original design lacked durability, so the SES team excavated 1000mm depth posts, to create a strong enough base for the drop-down bollards.
The Slatter Estates Surfaces team performed the emergency operation and managed to finish 2 days ahead of the original schedule. This allowed the client to deliver their new scanner on time, to the benefit of both the patients and the wider West Berkshire community. The client was extremely grateful to the SES team for their professionalism, work ethic and the result which far exceeded their original expectations.
