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Architecture, design and masterplanning practice Frank Whittle Partnership (FWP) has moved at speed to create community vaccination centres across the North West in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Its team of designers have rolled out seven mass vaccination and community vaccination centres across Lancashire and South Cumbria. The first, at Blackburn’s Cathedral, is now up and running and with plans to vaccinate around 2,000 people a day.
The Preston-based practice has also worked quickly to deliver mass vaccination centres for the NHS in towns and cities across Lancashire and South Cumbria as the roll-out gets underway across the North West as part of this national endeavour.
The facilities have been designed and constructed from scratch in a matter of weeks.
As well as designing the facilities, FWP has worked closely with the NHS Teams across Lancashire and South Cumbria and Lancashire and Cumbria Local Resilience Forum to review locations and buildings and oversee all the work on site.
The sites are part of the National Covid-19 vaccination programme.
David Simmons, associate partner and interior designer, has led the FWP team. He said: “We have worked very quickly to respond to the call to create these mass vaccination centres, which will play a massively important role in ending the pandemic in the UK.
“It has been a major challenge, but we have planned these centres in a matter of weeks, which is testament to the professionalism of the team we have here at FWP who have all risen to the task.
“To provide these vaccination facilities, we have had to identify and then evaluate suitable locations to ensure they meet all the NHS and key partner organisation requirements and have the facilities that are needed at hand.
“We have also had to ensure our designs follow national plans, are adapted to suit the particular sites and are set out so they can cope with the large numbers of people that will be vaccinated daily.
“We’ve carried out surveys on the sites and our designers have then had to space plan the building, working with the clinical teams, the contractors and the police and military planners, who are all involved in getting the vaccination programme up and running.” He added: “Public safety has also been paramount in all our work on the project.”
FWP, which has offices in Preston, Manchester and London, has a wealth of experience in the healthcare sector.
It has a successful track record of delivering NHS projects in the North West over the last 25 years, including more recently the Life and Urgent Care centres at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital; The Minerva Centre in Preston North End’s Deepdale ground and the Oaklands Mental Health Facility in Lancaster.
Earlier this year FWP completed its redesign of the ‘Skylark’ Avondale unit at Royal Preston Hospital.
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust’s new rehabilitation unit is now open and supporting patients recovering from mental health conditions.
FWP has also been appointed by the trust to deliver a new NHS rehabilitation centre at Wesham, near Blackpool.
For more information visit www.fwpgroup.co.uk or email mail@fwp.uk.com
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