OVERVIEW
As part of an overall objective to support improved patient recovery and reduce the number of residents being cared for out of area, the main purpose of this project is to centralise all general adult mental health inpatient services for Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan at Llandough Hospital and to accommodate older patients being transferred to Llandough from Whitchurch, Barry and St David’s Hospitals.

As part of the circa £57 million project, construction of a 135-bed specialist mental health care unit, supported by sufficient car parking facilities, took place between September 2012 and Spring 2013. The MHU project includes an 82-bed mental health hospital for older in-patients, a 40-place day hospital and an Assessment & Recovery Centre for 35 people.

WHAT SDS DID
Commissioned by Laing O’Rourke (Expanded Group) on behalf of Cardiff & Vale University Health Board, the brief was to incorporate a sustainable drainage system for the hospital’s new Mental Health Unit car park. Although not specified on the original drawings, SDS demonstrated how it could make significant improvements to the proposed designs and deliver a stronger package of benefits to the end customer. As a result, two GEOlight® tanks have been manufactured and installed, with a total combined capacity of 2,401m³.

RESULTS
Ready access to the site was restricted by the high numbers of staff, visitors and outpatients at the hospital throughout the day, along with the associated volume of traffic movements. Nevertheless, SDS was able to complete the project to its customary high standards ahead of schedule and without interference to the hospital’s busy 24/7 operation.

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