A brand-new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre (UECC) at Scarborough Hospital has officially opened its doors, marking a significant milestone for healthcare provision across the region. As the largest capital scheme ever undertaken by York and Scarborough Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the success of the development has been underpinned by the contributions of key project partners—including Howard Civil Engineering.
We played a pivotal role in delivering Scarborough Hospital’s £47m UECC, completing a 50-week programme of critical groundwork and structural works that earned high praise from the client. Our standards also contributed towards an overall project performance which received a glowing report from the Considerate Constructors Scheme.
This £47 million investment brings together an expanded A&E department and acute medical unit in a purpose-built, two-storey facility—enhancing emergency care provision for tens of thousands of patients annually.
To support this landmark development, we were engaged by Integrated Health Projects (IHP)—a joint venture between Sir Robert McAlpine and VINCI Construction—to undertake a £6.4m package of civil engineering works. Building on our successful collaboration with VINCI at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, we delivered an extensive and technically demanding scope of works that created the foundations and framework for the new facility.
Key elements of our scope included:
– Extensive enabling works and service diversions across a live hospital site
– Relocation of the existing helipad to ensure continuity of emergency operations
– Installation of surface and foul water drainage systems, including two large geo-cellular attenuation tanks
– Construction of a three-storey reinforced concrete frame for the new A&E ward
– Building two reinforced lift and stair cores, requiring complex temporary works
– Delivery of 4000m³ of concrete in foundations and superstructure
– Installation of 1600m of deep drainage (up to 5m), 1000m of service ducting, and over 2000m of kerbing
– Construction of a new car park to facilitate site compound setup
The reinforced concrete works formed a key element in the scheme, providing the structural strength and stability required to meet the demands of the new facilities. In the new A&E ward, the reinforced concrete frame is capable of supporting large loads and withstanding stresses from medical equipment and high footfall within a multi-storey configuration.
The construction of the two stair cores posed an operational challenge due to their proximity to existing features that needed to be retained. To overcome this challenge, Howard Civil Engineering planned and implemented an extensive temporary works solution to allow the safe installation of the stair core bases.
The fast and efficient delivery of the reinforced concrete cores were critical in achieving the client’s ambitious programme within the required timeframe. Howard Civil Engineering accelerated their completion with a fast-track build programme deploying additional resources and equipment.
Executing these works in a live hospital environment presented considerable challenges, particularly in maintaining access routes for ambulances, staff, patients, and visitors, while also navigating around existing underground services. Nevertheless, our team approached these obstacles with professionalism, foresight, and flexibility—earning commendation from the project team.
Gary Connor, Senior Construction Manager at VINCI Construction, was impressed by our service, stating:
“While Howard Engineering has been on site, the team has been extremely proactive, and the site manager, Patrick Furlong, has been excellent. With this in mind, I would definitely use Howard Civil Engineering on other projects.”
In addition to this strong endorsement, Howard Civil Engineering were proud to be part of a project team recognised for its outstanding performance under the Considerate Constructors Scheme. IHP achieved a flawless 100% score across all quality categories in the report by the Considerate Constructors Scheme. Inspectors noted the exemplary collaboration between IHP, the NHS Trust’s Capital Projects team, and the contractors involved.
This success of the UECC project reinforces our growing reputation as a trusted delivery partner on complex, high-profile healthcare infrastructure schemes. Howard Civil Engineering’s ability to deliver high-quality outcomes under complex conditions continues to set us apart—making us a contractor of choice for major civil engineering schemes across the UK.
