With the signing of the contract, a joint venture between CUH and John Laing has been formed. The partners are now working to finalise the funding and operational plan for the project, and securing planning permission.
John Laing will arrange the finance with no public capital spent on the project. The first major project of its kind in the NHS, CUH will receive an annual income and a share of the profits over the life of the contract. All of this money will go to supporting and enhancing the delivery of patient care at CUH’s two hospitals, Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie.
Dr Keith McNeil, chief executive at Cambridge University Hospitals, said: “This is another major step in creating a physical centre of what is already a well-known and successful biomedical campus. With the post-graduate education centre, hotel and conference centre and other facilities, the Forum will provide a great opportunity for clinicians and research professionals from Cambridge and around the globe to collaborate on innovative research and practices. This is bound to lead to new treatments and better quality of care for patients.”
Jane Ramsey, chair of Cambridge University Hospitals, said: “The Forum is a key part of our strategic plan for the campus. It will enhance our reputation as a leading centre for biomedical research and innovation, and drive improvements in patient care. We are very optimistic that it will prove to be a great success not only for the Trust and its patients, but for Cambridge and UK plc as well.”
Peter Ward, Director of Healthcare Projects at John Laing, said: “This is an important milestone in our partnership with CUH and is a significant step closer to delivering this important project. John Laing is keen to invest sustainably in good quality public infrastructure, and the Forum is a great example because it will provide a social hub for the biomedical campus, give Cambridge a centre for post-graduate medical education that reflects the standards of its teaching, and generate substantial income for NHS care. It's a crucial part of the CUH’s vision, and will illustrate the potential benefits innovation can bring to CUH’s patients and the staff who care for them."
Construction of the development will be carried out by Laing O’Rourke and it is planned that the private hospital will be run by Ramsay Health Care UK. The post-graduate medical education centre will be managed by CUH.
The development will create more than 300 construction jobs and in excess of 500 people will be employed in the completed facility.
Jill Watts, Ramsay Health Care UK’s CEO, said: “Ramsay Health Care UK is delighted to be part of this partnership and to be the operator of the new private hospital at the Forum. Through our experience and expertise we will provide the highest possible quality healthcare to our patients and we are proud to be part of the creation of one of the best and most innovative healthcare campuses in the world.”
Subject to planning permission, building work is planned to start in summer 2014 and will be completed in time for a formal opening in summer 2016. CUH will grant a long-term lease on the land it owns but will retain the freehold.
Image: Forum signing - Keith McNeil, Jane Ramsey and Peter Ward
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PR & Communications
Cambridge University Hospitals
For further information, please contact Adrian Ient, Media Relations Manager
Communications Department, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ
Tel: 01223 274433, M: 07703 887759 Email: Adrian.ient@addenbrookes.nhs.uk
John Laing contacts: Jess Thomas, Group Communications Manager at John Laing plc : 020 7901 3200 Jessica.Thomas@laing.com
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