Case Study | Anti-Ligature
Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Having previously worked with Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, CLC was appointed to undertake ward refurbishment works which primarily focused on anti-ligature compliance for St. George’s Hospital, Stafford.
Duration – 9 months
Contract Value – £578k
Location – Stafford
Site Proportion – 13 wards including intensive care and forensic services
“We found CLC to be a fabulous partner on the contract. The operatives worked well in a challenging environment and the standard of finish was high.”
Maintenance Manager, St. George’s Hospital
The Project
Serving over 1.5 million people a year, Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust required some well-needed assistance with some refurbishment works at St. George’s Hospital. After working closely with them previously, we were appointed to complete refurbishment works within St. George’s to ensure anti-ligature hardware and fixtures were installed across the 13 wards.
The areas that required the work included a combination of in-patient facilities, psychiatric intensive care wards and forensic services . As such, the trust requested us to update the bathrooms, shower rooms, toilets, doors, ironmongery, lighting and blinds. We also completed some fire protection works alongside the main project.
Our Solution
Scheduled into phases across the 13 wards, we worked closely with the management team and staff to ensure that we completed works around their patient’s needs. We kept our programme of works flexible and pulled from our stock of works until areas were accessible within the hospital. Due to the nature of the site, we took extra measures to ensure the safety of patients and staff members throughout the project. Prior to commencement of works on site, the Site Manager and Contract Manager surveyed the areas to identify and ligature risks to ensure no fixtures were missed. We also worked closely with out supply chain to source load release and fixed anti-ligature fittings, along with weaponry deterrent fixtures.
Our Solution continued…
Site security was one of our main concerns whilst working within the hospital. We conducted Risk Assessment and Method Statements (RAMS) specific to the requirements of the site make sure all necessary precautions had been taken. We also took additional steps including banning items which may inflict harm, zero lone working, use of radios for communication and little to no contact with patients to avoid agitation.
Innovations
During the project, we discovered that the original sink units in the specification were not suitable for users due to the limited access they provided so we worked with one of our long-term suppliers and designed a sink unit precisely to the requirements. The basin was then created by our supplier using a 3D printer. We also took innovative steps to protect patients from accessing tools. We created special lockable tool trolleys to ensure they were only accessible to operatives on site. At the end of each day, tool registers were utilised to ensure no tools were left behind.
The Result
The hospital is now a safe and comfortable environment for staff, patients and their families to visit. Using our own employees, we were able to guarantee consistency and a
high quality of work. We were also able to stick to the strict time frame ensuring the client’s complete satisfaction.
