Tilbury Douglas welcomes Fred Thomas MP & CITB to Derriford Hospital Project
Tilbury Douglas, a leading UK building, infrastructure, engineering, and fit-out business, welcomed Fred Thomas, MP for Plymouth Moor View, along with Chris Gingell, Customer Engagement Manager for the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), to its Derriford Hospital site in Plymouth.
The visit, which took place on 21 March as part Open Doors Week, hosted by Build UK in partnership with CITB, provided an opportunity to showcase the technical complexities of delivering state-of-the-art oncology treatment facilities. The project involves the extension and refurbishment of the Hospital’s Oncology Department, ensuring improved care and treatment for patients in Plymouth and beyond.
The annual Open Doors Week initiative, which has been running for more than 10 years, takes visitors behind the scenes to showcase the fantastic range of careers available in the UK construction industry.
The development includes a new Oncology extension featuring a decant linear accelerator (LINAC) bunker and a Brachytherapy treatment suite, alongside essential clinical support spaces, planning areas, recovery bays, an anaesthetic room, examination rooms, and staff and patient changing areas.
The construction of these highly specialised bunkers is critical to ensuring the safe and effective delivery of radiotherapy treatment. Key considerations include wall thickness, precise concrete mixes, and an extensive curing process. In total, approximately 580m³ of concrete will be used in the bunkers’ construction.
Fred Thomas MP has long advocated for improved healthcare facilities at Derriford Hospital to enhance services for his constituents. This visit allowed him to see first-hand the expertise and innovation involved in delivering such a critical healthcare project.
Fred Thomas, MP, commented: “It’s been great to visit the site of the new Oncology department up at Derriford and meet the team delivering this brilliant new project. I’ll always fight for better facilities and services at Derriford, and this refurbished and extended Oncology department is one of a number of exciting projects taking place at the hospital.
“Alongside the new A&E department that I successfully campaigned for and the new urgent treatment centre, this project is helping deliver facilities that are fit for the future.”
The visit further highlighted Tilbury Douglas’ dedication to delivering high-quality healthcare infrastructure and fostering collaboration between industry leaders and policymakers to drive progress in the sector.
