29th May 2020
A former defence medical rehabilitation centre in Surrey featuring four major buildings constructed by Rollalong has been converted into an NHS hospital to treat patients recovering from coronavirus.
NHS Seacole Centre near Leatherhead, the first UK hospital dedicated to helping coronavirus patients recover from the long-term effects of the illness, has accepted accepted its first patients this week.
The Jubilee Rehabilitation Complex was the last phase completed at the former DMRC Headley Court in Surrey by Rollalong in 2012. The new facility was officially opened that year by TRH the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.
Headley Court was mothballed in 2018 but has now re-opened as NHS Seacole Centre, with space for up to 300 beds if they are needed.
It was opened on 4th May by the Health Secretary Matt Hancock and is named after pioneering nurse Mary Seacole who set up the British Hotel behind the front lines of the Crimean War to help sick and injured soldiers recover.
By honouring the British-Jamaican nurse, the hospital’s name also serves as a tribute to BAME (black and minority ethnic) NHS staff who are working on the frontline of the UK’s fight against the virus.
NHS Seacole Centre is a community hospital and the first of its kind in the UK, designed to provide space for patients to recover after coronavirus treatment, as well as those who’ve been in hospital for routine treatment.
It allows patients to be discharged from acute hospitals to free up space and is run by Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust.
The £11m Jubilee Rehabilitation Complex built by Rollalong featured a 48-bed ward accommodation building, therapy block and workshop. It was constructed in nine months to provide clinical and rehabilitation facilities for amputees, mostly from the military, with single, double or triple prosthetics.
“Despite the exacting timeframe, we were able to rise to the challenge thanks to our quality-driven approach and our strong existing relationship with the MoD,” said Rollalong Managing Director Steve Chivers.
“Although we haven’t been involved in the conversion of Headley Court to an NHS COVID-19 hospital, it’s gratifying for us to see our buildings put to important new uses. It just shows how adaptable and flexible modular buildings can be.”