Dunnotar and Fyvie Wards

Project Overview:

Following on from our renovation projects at the Fraser Ward back in 2019 and the Huntley Ward in 2018, we won the contract to upgrade the furniture in the Dunnotar and Fyvie wards at Royal Cornhill Hospital in Aberdeen. The project involved the manufacture, supply and install of various furniture for the wards, staff, visitor and patient areas.

The renovation work included the supply and install of new bed units with headboards, open shelf units, nurses stations with seating, staff room and staff break time furniture, ward office furniture, clinical prep room furniture and activity room furniture. The improvements were made as part of the gradual upgrade of Royal Cornhill Hospital. The work has been ongoing in all six of the acute admission sites at the hospital since 2018 to help improve safety, and we have won the contracts for four wards, with an additional one in the pipeline for early next year. The overall goal was to create a safe environment while maintaining a welcoming and therapeutic feel to the hospital.

Project Challenges:

At a time where our health is more important than ever as we deal with the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic, this particular project posed unprecedented challenges for the team here at Nu-Style. Not only was it on site in a hospital where access was restricted to protect patients and NHS staff, but our decision to close down our business for six weeks as per government advice meant that we were behind schedule with the manufacture of the healthcare furniture.

Our supply chain also was disrupted to levels we have never experienced before. When restrictions began to ease, it meant that the project had to be completed on a tighter timescale than initially planned. The install had to be completed by mid-August so that patients could move back into their newly renovated wards safely.

Social distancing also posed a further challenge to the timescale of the project as our installers and joiners had to ensure they were working to the 2m distancing rules while on site. This, meant that we had to limit the number of installers on-site at any one time to ensure that everyone was safe. Again, this delayed the install slightly.

Our Added Value:

To complete the project in time, we employed two additional joiners to help with the manufacturing of the furniture products in our Aberdeen factory. This was our third project win for the wards inside Royal Cornhill Hospital and meant that we were able to take the learnings and experience we have of the first two wards and apply it to the Dunnotar and Fyvie wards. We were able to bring forward feedback and ideas from patients and family carers from the first phases and develop this into a ward that is both welcoming and safe. The client was able to benefit from this experience, and the project was completed on time and safely.

A year as a trusted and reliable supplier of bespoke furniture to the health care industry, we have a further phase planned with an additional ward in the hospital in the first quarter of next year.

"This project posed unique challenges for the team at Nu-Style, but as a result of our experience of working in this healthcare environment and the hard work of the team, we were able to complete the project on time and safely. It was vital that we worked safely on-site and kept to 2-meter social distancing at all times."

Kevin Flett, Head Joiner at NSP