Following a successful tender process, we partnered with the award winning care providers, MHA, on an internal refurbishment project to refresh their Weston and Queensway Nursing Homes.
Specialising in caring for vulnerable adults with Dementia, the main scope of the project was to complete the refurbishment of their care homes. The work included a full re-decoration throughout, along with replacement bathrooms, minor structural work and flooring. After working with MHA for several years, we have since built a strong working relationship with the care home specialists.
The Project
After caring and supporting vulnerable people with dementia for a number of years, MHA Weston and Queensway required a refresh to the internal and external of the two care home buildings.
The scope included 35 brand new ensuite bathrooms, the installation of 65 new bedroom fire doors, replacement handrails, flooring throughout and a full redecoration of the lounges, corridors, offices and communal areas. Alongside these works, the ceiling was also replaced within the Weston block as an additional project to make the area fire retardant.
Our Solution
To complete the refresh within the 26 week time-frame, our team of operatives separated into four houses with 12 bedrooms in each ‘house’. This ensured work was carried out concurrently to achieve the time-frame.
During the works, the safety and well-being of the residents was our utmost priority. We worked closely with the care team to ensure residents were moved out of the active site area everyday to a secure and safe location. We provided them with start times with advance notice beforehand and we set up a ‘Permit to Work’ system to ensure only authorised personnel were able to gain access to the working site during the day. At the end of each day, our site supervisor walked around each area with MHA staff to ensure all hazards and safety precautions had been checked before signing over the site area back to MHA. This included ensuring that fire doors were secure and that any tools or materials were safely locked away in the store room.
Innovations
During the project, our team noticed that the cross-corridor doors within the hallways weren’t lockable. This meant that the corridors would have left the working site areas accessible to residents and staff. To ensure the area stayed as safe as possible, we installed temporary locks on these doors to protect both the care team and residents from putting themselves in harms way.
To complete the extra ceiling replacement works within the original time-scale, we organised for extra operatives and approved contractors within the local area to assist with the work.
The Result
The two care homes now have a bright and inviting feel to them for both residents and their families. Using our own operatives, we were able to guarantee completed works within the short turnaround – much to the delight of the customer.
As a surprise, we also donated time and materials to build the residents a rabbit hutch. This addition encouraged and supported therapy for residents in bringing them loving and meaningful memories.