Catalyst Healthcare completes construction of state-of-the-art clinical science facility in Manchester
(18/03/2009)

The Manchester New Hospitals Project is the largest single investment ever to take place in Greater Manchester's hospitals. The bidding process began in 2000, along with a number of other PFI companies, and in 2002 Central Manchester and Manchester Children's Hospital NHS Trust chose Catalyst to be their partner to build the new hospitals. In 2004, when the contract was signed between the NHS Trust and Catalyst Healthcare (Manchester) Ltd, a Manchester specific Catalyst company was formed to project manage the scheme for the next 38 years, through the construction and into operation.

Catalyst Healthcare (Manchester) Ltd has now completed the construction of a state-of-the-art clinical science facility for Manchester's Hospitals. This new resource significantly enhances the existing clinical sciences and children's divisions in readiness for the completion and handover of the city's four ultra-modern hospitals later this year.

The Clinical Sciences 3 building provides brand new laboratories for Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust including haematology, biochemistry and immunology specialities for the adult's and children's hospitals.

Roger Potts, general manager for Catalyst, explained: “This is a major milestone for laboratory services in Manchester. We are extremely proud to hand this new building over to the Trust.”

A period of commissioning of the new building by the Trust will now follow and an opening date in April has been set.

Catalyst is currently building Britain’s biggest children’s hospital along with three other state-of-the-art hospitals (adult, women’s and eye) that will be opening from June this year.

Catalyst is the private finance initiative (PFI) consortium managing Manchester’s £500m new hospitals development. Catalyst was created in 1995 by Bovis Lend Lease to specialise in bidding and winning Private Finance Initiative Healthcare projects. The purpose of this company was to bring together interested private sector specialists in design, construction, facilities management services and finance to deliver new hospitals to NHS Trusts. Shareholdings in the Special Purpose Company include Bovis, Sodexo and HSBC.