A high-profile project completed by a Hull-based company has been celebrated on a national stage, picking up multiple awards for its construction and design.
The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds was built by construction company I&G, part of Hull-headquartered Sewell Group.
Since its completion last November, the project has won multiple awards, including picking up prizes at the Considerate Constructors National Site Awards, the Building Better Healthcare Awards, the Constructing Excellence Yorkshire and Humber Awards, the Insider Yorkshire Property Awards, the European Healthcare Design Awards, the Architect’s Journal Awards and the Business Charity Awards.
The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease is the first of its kind in the UK, bringing MND services under one roof for the first time and revolutionising care for patients.
Rugby star Rob Burrow and Dr Agam Jung, Consultant Neurologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, came up with the vision for a specialist centre for motor neurone disease in Leeds, after Rob was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019.
The objective of the centre was to create a holistic patient-centred approach, which is not only calm, welcoming and accessible, but also brings multi-disciplinary teams together with physiotherapy and occupational therapy, drop-in clinics, gentle exercise groups, and groups where people can meet with others who are living similar experiences.
The building was built using modern methods of construction and off-site manufacturing, meaning it could be built quickly and efficiently to bring benefits to patients more quickly. It opened to patients last year, only five years after Rob Burrow first shared his idea for the centre.
Sewell Group’s Chris Soper said: “Although we’ve constructed many health facilities over the years, this one was particularly special. It’s transformed the way the MND clinical staff can work, and had a huge impact on the care they can provide for patients.
“We were honoured to play a part in bringing Rob’s vision to life, and it was inspiring to see how the partners involved – from the NHS trust and Leeds Hospitals Charity to architects, project managers and suppliers – were all working together as one team to turn a dream into reality. Seeing the difference it’s making to patients with MND and their families makes all the hard work worthwhile, and it’s definitely a project we’ll never forget.”
Craige Richardson, Chief Infrastructure Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said:
“It is fantastic to see the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease receiving this level of recognition. From the outset, this was a bold and ambitious project. We wanted to challenge some of the traditional thinking around healthcare environments and create something truly shaped around the needs of those living with MND.
“Working with Rob Burrow, people with MND, their families and our partners gave us the opportunity to think differently about what a healthcare setting can and should be. The result is a building that recognises the changing nature of MND, with wellbeing, dignity and holistic care at its heart, not only for patients, but for families, carers and the staff supporting them.
“Everyone involved should feel incredibly proud of these nominations and awards. It is wonderful to see such a pioneering healthcare building recognised in this way.”
The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease is just one of a number of major construction schemes that Sewell Group has worked on recently, with other projects including the refurbishment of the Health Sciences Library for the University of Leeds, the creation of a Community Diagnostic Centre in Seacroft and the new Willowfield School in Hull which will create 125 places for students with educational needs and disabilities.