Landmark moment for Market Harborough's new hospital

Topping out....centre, Dr Richard Palin chairman of East Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Group and councillor Michael Rook chairman of Harborough District Council with St Luke's hospital behing them.
PICTURE: ANDREW CARPENTER — Topping out....centre, Dr Richard Palin chairman of East Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Group and councillor Michael Rook chairman of Harborough District Council with St Luke's hospital behing them. PICTURE: ANDREW CARPENTER

The hospital’s “topping out” ceremony - a construction tradition which marks the day the building reaches its highest point - was held last week.

The day was marked on site by representatives from all the main groups involved in the planning and construction.

Morgan Sindall was appointed last year to build the £7.5 million new health facility by NHS Property Services via the East Midlands Property Alliance (empa) group.

The build follows about 28 years of campaigning from local people, and multiple accusations of delays.

But at last week’s ceremony, officials were keen to look forward.

Richard Fielding, area director at Morgan Sindall, said: “Reaching topping out is a landmark in any construction project.

“Over the past few weeks the people of Market Harborough have been able to watch the building’s form take shape and they can now see it at its full extent.”

Elliot Howard-Jones, director of commissioning operations for NHS England (Central Midlands), said: “I am delighted to see for myself how things have moved forward.

“This building is one of our biggest investments in planned care in the area.”

Dr Richard Palin, local GP and chair of East Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “This is another step closer for the people of Market Harborough and the surrounding area having new, state-of-the-art healthcare facilities in the town.”

Upon completion, the new hospital will provide a modern health facility set in a landscaped 1.78 hectares site.

It will provide a wide range of healthcare services which are currently delivered across a number of NHS sites in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The facilities will provide a mixture of outpatient services, a GPs surgery, an x-ray department, mental health services, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

Martin Royal, the director of NHS Property Services, said: “This is an important moment as we mark the progress towards much better healthcare for the people of Market Harborough”.