‘Awe inspiring’ is not a phrase that most people would associate with portable office accommodation, but for staff at St Andrew’s Medical Practice in Spennymoor, Co Durham this term summed up their feelings when Portable Offices arrived like the fourth emergency service to provide them with interim accommodation following an arson attack on their building.
A plea for help from the centre’s nursing and administration staff, desperate to help the 10,000 local residents relying on the centre for medical treatment, was the ‘call to action’ for the Portable Offices team who rallied to their aid with modular portable accommodation.
Modular Building with ramp for Heathcare sectorPractice Manager, Tracey Martin, said: “We were shocked by the devastation caused by the arson attack on our building which literally razed it to the ground. Our semi-rural community relies on the centre totally for medical treatment and prescriptions, so we were in dire straits without a building to operate from.
“It may sound a cliché, but Portable Offices were our ‘knights in shining armour.’ They responded straight away. Within a very short time, 11 modular buildings were dispatched to us. In fact, one left their site every half hour -operating with military precision.”
Modular Building Medical CentreThe buildings arrived over the weekend although it took two weeks for foundations and utilities to be installed and for the necessary planning to be secured.
Tracey explains: “Logistically, we needed planning for the accommodation to be sited on our car park, plus power and water. The Portable Offices’ team helped us with all of this.
“Our location down a back street was less than ideal from an access point of view but they worked with the situation and with us to really make it a seamless operation.”
The Portable Offices team worked in tandem with medical and admin staff to develop a room plan that incorporated a pharmacy / dispensary, practice nurse / treatment room, consultation room, medical file room, office, waiting room and staff and public toilets.
A total turnkey service was provided which included foundations, water, waste and power services, a disabled access ramp, fire alarm system and full project management including liaison with the local council on planning matters and the electricity board regarding a new power feed.
Construction of the new medical centre is underway and the team hopes to be in the new building in the Autumn.
Modular Buildings – Healthcare
Modular Buildings – Portable Offices
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