Victoria Hospital

Victoria Hospital in Blackpool is due to benefit from the construction of a new three storey main entrance which will related infrastructure and include a multi-storey car park. The biggest challenge for the main contractor is that the new entrance is due to be constructed in a live hospital environment. By working closely with the healthcare trust they were able to minimise the impact on the patients, staff and visitors.

The new entrance has links to parking for ambulances, local buses and taxis. It will also have direct access to the car parks and disabled parking. This will create a single point of entry to the hospital for a much-improved patient experience. Additional features will be reception facilities, retail space and office accommodation.

Given that it was a live site, a lot of planning was required so that during construction subcontractors could get onto the site and make deliveries without causing disruption. A temporary main entrance was created which provided a safe access route for patients, staff and visitors so they still had access to all hospital departments.

During construction, Billington Structures provided structural steelwork for the new entrance to Willmott Dixon. This included the 4 storey beam and column entrance plus connections to the existing hospital structure.

The new entrance will include retail outlets such as Costa Coffee, Marks and Spencer, WH Smith and Lloyds Pharmacy, in the main foyer area. The building also includes office accommodation on the first and second-floor levels above the retail units, which accommodate the clinical and management teams at the hospital.

The new entrance at Victoria Hospital in Blackpool is the final stage of a long project to provide improved access to the hospital and is supported by a 1,500-space multi-storey car park. The new entrance, and other major refurbishments at the hospital, will improvement the overall patient experience and create a safe and welcoming environment for visitors.