Standardisation is the key to delivering healthcare construction requirements

In order to drive speed of production requirements, as well as increase utilisation, true innovation and allow for scale, the construction sector needs to further invest and embed true standardisation processes.

Public sector clients need to deliver healthcare facilities that meet population growth, which is forecast at a 1.6 million increase from 2022 – 2030, while also addressing decades of under investment in the healthcare estate. Accessing the benefits of standardisation and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) in their long-term pipeline of work, linking the Construction Playbook policies and the Constructing the Gold Standard recommendations, will be a key fundamental. If this is embraced, it will allow the construction industry to have the confidence to invest in this change of approach, away from the current bespoke development of individual schemes, to one of repeatable and consistent delivery of industrialised construction driving improvements and speed of delivery.

Embracing change

This approach would also see the following benefits:

• Streamlined construction process: Achieving time, cost, and greener objectives.
• Full supply chain engagement: Empowering collaboration, reducing risks, and improving efficiencies.
• Innovation through feedback: Continuous improvement leading to better end products and outputs.
• Enhanced collaboration and communication: Between client and contractor teams.
• Quality control improvements: Particularly with MMC adoption within a controlled factory environment.
• Off-site manufacturing: Enhancing quicker construction timescales and reducing disruption on live sites.
• Economies of scale: Standardisation and confidence in long-term workload enhance production.
• Digital twin enhancements: Enabling preconstruction checks and ‘should cost’ modelling improvements in operational efficiencies.

The construction industry needs to understand this change and provide confidence to government departments of its agility in meeting these requirements. For example, Tilbury Douglas has invested significantly in the creation of TD Connect – our system to drive digital enhancement of pre-construction. Read more about it here.

Appreciation and understanding of this seismic shift away from traditional construction practices will transform our own industry culture in adopting these changes. Creating an environment which empowers the workforce to undertake the new skills training necessary to enable delivery of this highly productive model within the construction industry is essential.

This approach can also improve the recruitment and retention of highly skilled talent, transforming our industry image and improving our profitability and efficiency.

Leading the way

Clients must lead from the front – to clearly state they embrace repeatability for the long-term and provide the reassurance and commitment to these strategies across all tiers of the construction sector. The public sector’s confidence is needed for full adoption in the industry, which will allow organisations to realise future improvements in today’s investment.

The benefits for the public sector will be through clearly measurable improvements in the operation of its facilities. Cheaper, greener and faster delivery will be identifiable via the ability to compare true data, across similar facilities, with consistency in analysis, delivering transparent solutions.

The New Hospital Programme is one of the key public sector departments leading the cultural shift in the delivery of hospital design and construction. Its development of Hospital 2.0 will provide the structure of repeatability and standardisation through all aspects of delivery. It is not just the overall design or standardisation of repeatable components; it is the supporting process and procedures on a common format ensuring compliance with approvals and technical guidelines throughout.

Highly skilled resources working within a structure of clear information, easily understood by all, will drive the fundamental objectives of time, cost, quality and net zero. This will further support the wider delivery of key success factors including social value, sustainability and economic improvement in capacity and capability.

It is time for the construction industry to transform for the future. It must embrace this changing environment and be ready for standardised and repeatable delivery through manufacturing and industrialisation principles, allowing us to upscale our industry to meet our clients’ needs.