This is what the much-needed extension of Milton Keynes Hospital will look like

Building work is due to start this Autumn on a much-needed £19m extension to Milton Keynes University Hospital.

Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed to build the new two-storey building, which will house two 24-bed wards and a link corridor to

the existing A&E department.

The extension, to be known as Oak Wards, will enable the site to provide healthcare services to more people at a faster rate and help meet the increased healthcare needs of the city, say hospital bosses.

The hospital was opened in1984 but since then the population of the city has grown rapidly and it is serving tens of thousands more patients. And at times it has been struggling to meet the demand.

Work is due to start on site in the last quarter of this year and will be completed in late 2025.

The new wards will consist of five-bed bays as well as single bedrooms, alongside space for storage, utility rooms, offices, a ward kitchen and staff areas.

Both storeys will be laid out in a rectangular floor plan with a central nurse’s station and large bay windows to maximise the amount of natural light.

And the building will be highly sustainable and energy saving in line with the net zero carbon goals of the NHS. There will be air source heat pumps on the roof to supply power and high grade insulation throughout the structure.

A sustainable drainage and water management systems on the ground floor, including swales and a rain garden, will allow rainwater to naturally drain away.

And outside, Morgan Sindall will encourage biodiversity by planting new trees and wildflowers as well as installing bat boxes and insect hotels.

Because the development is so close to existing buildings, daily operations will be closely monitored and scheduled to avoid disruption to the hospital’s vital functions.

These measures will be crucial when creating the link adjacent to the Emergency Department, say hospital bosses

Morgan Sindall is also working with the MKUH Foundation Trust on a new radiotherapy centre which will house two state-of-art medical linear accelerator (LINAC) bunkers.

Due to open in Summer 2024, this facility will include a main reception, CT suite, and consulting rooms as well as soft landscaping with 33 trees to externally tie into the hospital’s existing Cancer Centre.

Emma Curtis, Morgan Sindall Construction’s Northern Home Counties Area Director, said: “The ward expansion at Milton Keynes University Hospital will play a vital role in increasing the facility’s capacity. With Milton Keynes’ population increasing by more than 15% between 2011 and 2021, it’s important that we invest and upscale the city’s healthcare infrastructure to ensure that it is able to meet current and future challenges."

Joe Harrison, Chief Executive at MKUH, said: "We are delighted to announce the next steps in our Oak Wards development. This new

facility will play a pivotal role in developing our hospital estate to meet the acute care needs of the growing city of Milton Keynes. 

 The Trust is also to receive funding to deliver a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital by 2030. The £200m funding for this was approved by the government in May last year, with the intention of bringing together maternity, paediatric and obstetrics services all under