The Garenne Group has won a national award for the construction of The Jersey General Hospital Nightingale Wing.
The 2021 Constructing Excellence Awards, which took place recently, celebrates regional excellence across the UK. ‘The Integration and Collaborative Working Award’ was awarded to Garenne in recognition of the complex procurement logistics and fast paced delivery of the ‘field’ hospital, which achieved a never seen before level of co-operation between the Island’s skilled but small-scale suppliers and subcontractors.
The Nightingale Wing, a temporary facility which opened at Millbrook in May 2020, provided additional capacity to alleviate pressure on the General Hospital for patients with Covid-19. It was acknowledged by the Government of Jersey as the most significant community project since the end of the 2nd World War Occupation in 1945, and it provided the Island with a vital asset in the strategy to fight Covid-19.
The project went from a field to a 180 bed fully functioning hospital in just 25 days with no pre-existing infrastructure in place. 541 people and 83 local businesses worked a 24/7 operation for the project to succeed. The clinical team worked closely with the design team from concept to completion.
Jersey’s Chief Nurse, Rose Naylor, said: “Everyone involved in the delivery of this project worked together to The Nightingale Wing offered Jersey additional resilience at a time of great uncertainty for the Island. The Garenne Group ensured the build was bespoke for the Island’s needs, was delivered at pace and within budget.
“Health and Community Services, amongst other government departments, worked closely with various partners in the construction industry who enabled this to happen at pace and under budget.” Rose added: “The sense of community during the construction was palpable, and this award is a reflection on everyone that was involved.”
Marc Burton, Executive Director for Garenne and Project Director for the Nightingale Wing, was recognised in the 2021 New Year’s Honours when he was awarded an MBE.
Marc said: “We are extremely proud to have won this award. As it was a National Award, we were up against some very strong competition. Taking a piece of land with no infrastructure and delivering a working hospital ward in just 25 days would be a challenge at any time, not least during a worldwide lockdown. This truly was an was an amazing example of the construction community of Jersey coming together.”
The project has now been decommissioned and The Nightingale is being taken down.
