Sandycroft gets cracking on £5m Liverpool medical job
Construction work has started on a £5m dialysis centre at Aintree University Hospital, where the NHS is working with Fresenius Medical Care.
NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Trust said that the centre should significantly improve access to the service for patients across Liverpool, replacing the current Aintree clinic and Waterloo unit.
It will have capacity for around 160 patients, approximately 42% more than the current Aintree clinic, enabling more people to access dialysis and better care in a modern facility.
The development is inked in for completion in summer 2027, with the first patients expected to receive treatment from July.
Headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent, Sandycroft has a focused renal care facility division – Sandycroft Projects – and has delivered 75 projects over the last quarter century in this field. CTD Architects has designed the Aintree scheme, with VIRO advising on sustainability.
In addition to increasing the number of dialysis stations from 19 to 27, there will be a dedicated six-station home dialysis training facility, alongside shared-care and self-care areas.
These facilities will help patients better understand their treatment, build confidence in managing aspects of their care and where appropriate, support a transition to dialysing at home.
This is also expected to be the first net zero dialysis centre in the UK, in what is a particularly resource- and energy-intensive field of medical work.
The project includes EV parking, enhanced insulation, air-source heat pumps, LED lighting, smart ventilation controls and approximately 75kW of rooftop solar capacity.
Dr Andy Nicolson, group chief medical officer at NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, said: “This is great news for our patients. People who rely on regular dialysis spend a lot of time in treatment, so the environment they receive care in really matters and I’m delighted that work has now started on a new centre that will improve the experience of dialysis for the communities we serve.
“Local patients are at the heart of this project, but its significance is national. Together with Fresenius Medical Care, we want Liverpool to show how modern patient facilities and lower-carbon design can go hand in hand. This is about building for our communities today and helping shape the NHS of tomorrow.”
Jonathon Lawrence, managing director UK & Ireland at Fresenius Medical Care, said: “Dialysis is essential. Reducing the environmental impact of the buildings that support it must be a priority too. This centre puts lower-carbon design at the heart of kidney care infrastructure.
“We are always striving to improve the care we provide to patients and where possible, reduce our environmental impact. This centre is a great example of that in practice and we hope it can show what is possible for renal care across the UK.”
