Case Study: Healthcare
Client: Wardens Construction
Trust: Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
M&E Budget: £200,000
Completed: March 2026
Primary Services Used
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Project Manager
- Ventilation Engineers
- BMS Engineers
- Data Engineers
- Nurse Call Engineers
- Fire Alarm Engineers
Meel Group delivers the complete M&E provision for a new UTC within Stepping Hill Hospital.
Project Background:
The existing Fracture Clinic within Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport required modernisation and expansion. Stockport NHS Foundation Trust scheduled refurbishments to create a new Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) within blocks 82 & 83.
Overview:
The new expanded area would include:
- 2x reception desks
- 2x patient waiting areas
- 2x WC facilities both ambulant-accessible
- 11x Treatment rooms
- 1x Plaster room
Stripping Out & Planning:
The existing M&E services within the areas to be refurbished were carefully isolated and removed. This included:
- Removal and disposal of existing radiant heating panels, except for the consultation rooms.
- Existing air conditioning equipment serving the waiting area and plaster room was isolated, disconnected, removed from the site and disposed of in accordance with current environmental regulations.
- Existing sanitaryware was removed, together with associated local pipework connections and fittings.
- Any redundant mechanical services exposed during the strip out works were left in a safe condition.
Electrical Scope of Works
This scheme involved a full electrical refurbishment and remodelling of all the areas.
Our engineers undertook modifications and installations for the following:
- Lighting
- Emergency Lighting
- General Power
- EBB and Specialist Earthing
- Containment
- BMS
- Fire Alarm
- Structured Wiring
- Nurse Call System
- Induction Loop
The lighting design included the provision of dimmable, controlled lighting units, providing optimised illumination for each area.
Nurse Call Systems
Nurse call systems were installed in the new Urgent Treatment Centre and comprised:
- Staff to Staff
- Patient to Staff
- Standard Call and Emergency Call
They were also Interlinked to the Radiology and the EUCC departments
Mechanical Scope of Works
The works covered a wide range of services and were all carried out in accordance with current British Standards, Building Regulations, HTM guidance where applicable, and the project specification.
Domestic Water Services
We undertook local modifications to the existing domestic hot and cold water services to accommodate the new sanitaryware layouts.
New domestic water pipework was installed to serve the consultation room. Pipework was sized in accordance with design requirements and installed complete with all necessary valves, fittings, supports, insulation and identification.
Final connections were made to all new sanitary appliances.
Above-Ground Drainage
Local modifications were made to the existing above-ground drainage installation to suit the revised sanitaryware arrangements. These included drainage pipework to serve all new sanitary appliances, with connections to the existing drainage system.
A new drainage connection was provided from the Saniflo unit associated with the new consultation room, routed and connected to the existing above-ground drainage system. All drainage pipework was installed with appropriate falls, ventilation provisions, rodding access and acoustic considerations as required.
Air Conditioning
We supplied, installed, and commissioned a new split-system air conditioning unit serving the patient waiting area.
The system was fully pressure-tested, evacuated, charged, and commissioned in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Building Management System (BMS) Controls
The BMS controls were modified and extended to serve the new mechanical systems.
These included new BMS controls for the radiant heating panels, which incorporated motorised two-port control valves and local room thermostats.
The new air conditioning system serving the waiting area, was also integrated into the BMS, providing central monitoring, control and scheduling.
Specific Project Challenges
Our works were scheduled within the live hospital environment, where clinical areas and circulation routes had to remain operational. The scheme presented some specific challenges for our teams to mitigate.
- Maintaining patient, staff, and visitor safety during ongoing construction activities.
- Controlling noise, dust, vibration, and disruption to minimise impact on clinical services and sensitive medical equipment.
- Strict infection prevention and control requirements, including segregation of construction areas from operational healthcare spaces.
- Restricted working hours and limited access routes for our engineers due to hospital operations and emergency access requirements.
- Maintaining uninterrupted essential services such as power, ventilation, and water.
- Managing logistics and material deliveries with limited storage and access.
- Ensuring clear communication and coordination with the main contractor, hospital management, clinical teams, and other stakeholders throughout the project.
- Completing works within tight programme constraints to minimise disruption to hospital operations.
Health & Safety
At the Meel Group, we take Health & Safety very seriously, and no accidents or near misses occurred during the project. Within a live hospital environment, H&S requirements are significantly more stringent than on a standard commercial refurbishment project, requiring robust health and safety procedures to be implemented:
- Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures
- Permit-to-work systems for high-risk activities and service shutdowns
- Dust, noise, and vibration control
- Segregation of construction activities from hospital staff, patients, and visitors
- Strict access control, inductions, and safeguarding procedures for all operatives
Detailed phasing and sequencing plans were developed in collaboration with the main contractor and the hospital management team to ensure services remained operational throughout the works.
Testing, Commissioning and Handover
Upon completion of the installation, all mechanical systems were pressure-tested, flushed, cleaned, balanced, and commissioned in accordance with relevant standards and specifications.
Full operating and maintenance manuals, test certificates, commissioning records and ‘as-installed’ drawings were delivered as part of our handover of the project.
We also provided training to the client’s operational personnel on the use and maintenance of the installed systems.
On completion of works we produced Electrical Installation Certificates & Lighting Completion Certificates. When commissioning the electrical scheme we fine-tuned all devices to their optimised performance functionality.
Project Result:
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust now has a newly refurbished and expanded facility at Stepping Hill Hospital. The UTC, which includes a Fracture Clinic, improves the facilities for both patients and staff. The hospital trust and the main contractors are pleased with the M&E installation, which was successfully delivered in a busy, live hospital environment.
