Business case and construction
The main achievements this year have been successfully completing our Outline Business Case (OBC), and writing the Full Business Case (FBC) for approvals. This is a significant amount of work with many stakeholders.
The most significant milestone in development of the NRC case was the appointment of Integrated Health Projects (IHP) in May as our main construction partner. IHP is a joint venture between Vinci Construction UK and Sir Robert McAlpine, and appointment followed a competitive process under the P22 procurement framework which provides design and construction services within the NHS and Social Care organisations.
I’m delighted that IHP are on board, not only because of their proven technical expertise, but because of their clear understanding of the uniqueness of the NRC as a project. Their appointment enabled the programme to complete the final design stages of the building and surrounding area. IHP have a strong commitment to considerate contracting and to working with the local community during the NRC build.
In October we held a drop in event at Rempstone Village Hall so that people living locally could come and hear first-hand about the construction process and our plans for the site, and once we have secured the necessary approvals and are able to start building the new facility, hopefully early in 2023, we will continue to provide updates via a dedicated construction newsletter which will also be available via our website.
Social value is central to the NRC programme and IHP reflect this in their values and in their proposal. Work is already underway in schools and local people are benefitting from apprenticeship opportunities through the IHP supply chain.
IHP have been carrying out some early ground works on site so that we are fully prepared for when construction starts. This has included creating a new access road from the A6006 through the north-western end of the estate to the NRC site. Thank you for bearing with us during this process which I know has caused some local disruption.
Workforce development
Training the rehabilitation workforce is a fundamental part of the NRC programme and with the centre opening in less than two years’ time, the team has already started recruiting. Two apprentices start their three year training programme as Advanced Clinical Practitioners from 19 December ahead of the NRC opening at the end of 2024.
Collaboration with one of our partner Universities (University of Nottingham) has enables access to the MSCs on the established three year training pathway. The trainees will be embedded within the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre at Nottingham University Hospitals where they will gain acute care skills and complete the core competencies with supervision and teaching from Major Trauma Consultants.
Birmingham City University has been appointed via a competitive tender process to run bespoke Rehabilitation Assistant Practitioner apprenticeship courses starting in 2023, which will provide new roles and development opportunities for a wide range of staff. Having the right workforce in place is crucial to us realising our national ambition for training and education in the field of rehabilitation and fully embedding research into clinical practice.
To this end, Sandy Walsh, who has played a key role to date in the programme, particularly in terms of bringing the OBC and FBC forward, has now been appointed as the NRC’s first Director of Operations, and will be responsible for the full preparation of the NRC workforce and mobilisation of our clinical and academic teams.
We are currently advertising for a Medical Lead for the NRC programme, and for two Lead Consultants (rehabilitation and therapy). As well as providing medical leadership across the whole patient pathway, setting standards in line with the development of the national rehabilitation strategy, the Medical Lead will contribute to recruitment and training of medical staff. Full details of all three roles can be accessed via our website here.
NRC Academy
The NRC’s academic partnership, led by the University of Nottingham and Loughborough University, is one of the things that makes the programme truly unique. Alongside delivery of clinical rehabilitation at the NRC, will be a national research and innovation hub and training and education centre which will host the NRC Academy. The Academy will run short courses and continuing professional development (CPD) sessions focusing on rehabilitation, ranging from day courses to MSc modules. The courses will be aimed at healthcare professionals from a wide range of backgrounds, both nationally and internationally, with the aim of driving forwards rehabilitation as a specialty. We have been working hard to develop the Academy’s programme, with new courses in both partner universities and bids for research grants already submitted. Updates will be shared next year on the NRC website.
As one of the early schemes to be delivered under the New Hospital Programme (the Government’s commitment to build more than 40 new hospitals by 2030), we were pleased to host a visit in the summer from Natalie Forrest – the programme’s Senior Responsible Officer – and her team. They were able to get a sense of the benefits that theNRC’ssetting on the beautiful Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Estate will bring for patients’ recovery. They were also able to gain an appreciation of how the proximity to the Defence facility will support the sharing of best practice in rehabilitation.
One of the central pillars of the New Hospital Programme’s strategic investment in NHS buildings is digital innovation. We have recently launched a digital pilot scheme at Linden Lodge, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust’s existing neuro-rehabilitation facility, to help us test and improve some of the technologies that we are planning to use at the NRC, and it’s really exciting to see the possibilities for how digital will enhance rehabilitation and the patient and staff experience.
We have reached a point where the programme has a real sense of momentum, and it won’t be long before we are able to get spades in the ground. If you’d like to see what the NRC facility will look like, do watch this animated fly through. We will continue to provide updates on our progress in the programme on our website and you can also follow us on Twitter (@NRCrehabUK) and LinkedIn.
In the meantime, I wish you all a very Happy Christmas, and look forward to all that’s to come in the New Year.