South Yorkshire-based wall and floor covering specialists, A Cumberlidge Ltd, have replaced floor, ceiling and wall coverings at Rotherham Hospital’s busy maternity ward on Moorgate Road.

Working on a maintenance term contract with W Wright Electrical, the A Cumberlidge team laid new coverings in the maternity theatre and its ancillary rooms. This included the complete lapping of PVC sheet material on the walls and across the ceilings to ensure a robust and clean environment for surgical procedures.

Explains Andrew Reeves, director with A Cumberlidge: “We’ve worked on a variety of projects at Rotherham Hospital for over 32 years, so we’re very familiar with the site and the pressures involved with laying floor and wall coverings in such a busy environment. The maternity ward is a fine example of such an area, with 14 birthing rooms and a theatre that is in use 24 hours a day.”

“This particular scheme originally started as a refurbishment to the ventilation system in the anesthetic suite and delivery areas but, in the process, we had to demolish a couple of doorways and walls,” outlines Matt Birkett, site manager with W Wright Electrical.

Continues Matt: “We knew the walls would need to be re-clad so we contacted the team at A Cumberlidge and, at very short notice, Andrew, came to site to assess the job.”

“In the first instance, Matt had asked for the installation of sheet vinyl to the wall surfaces,” explains Andrew. “However, upon closer inspection, we discovered that the walls were already covered and the existing vinyl had actually been painted over. Adding new vinyl would have caused the finishes to fail so that was not an option.”

Continues Andrew: “Together with Matt and his team, we stripped and re-skimmed all walls, fitted a new ceiling and a Polyflor ‘Polyclad’ PVC vinyl finish was selected by the client to clad the floor, walls and ceilings. This covering is specifically designed for locations where hygiene is a top priority.

“The installation of this material, particularly when cladding the ceiling, is a highly specialist exercise. We utilised a Polyclad ‘gantry’, for which we underwent specific training, to raise the Polyflor ‘Polyclad’ PVC vinyl material to its location and secured it in place with contact adhesives.

“Integral to the Polyclad finishes, a Polyflor sheet vinyl was laid throughout the unit. On completion the materials were hot seam welded to give an impervious and seamless finish. The complete welding of floor, wall and ceiling joints in this specialist way resulted in a continuous hygienic surface throughout.”

Despite a compressed scheme programme, works were completed within the allotted time frame and to the delight of the project team.

“I know I can rely on A Cumberlidge to get the job done on time and on budget. As always, the team bent over backwards to help us complete this project, mainly out of hours and on weekends. Such is the standard of the finished maternity ward, surgeons and consultants using the refurbished facilities have commented positively on the transformation and how quickly work was completed.”

Adds John Reeves, A Cumberlidge’s site manager: “We were particularly pleased with this project as it presented a variety of different challenges which called for the use of materials and techniques that are really quite unusual.”

Concludes Nick Wright of the estates project office at Rotherham Hospital: “This scheme was some 18 months in the planning and, once it commenced, there was real pressure to complete the work within the allotted time frame. Andrew and his team at A Cumberlidge did not let us down and responded at very short notice – I have absolute trust in their work and business ethic.

“Every project they have completed alongside W Wright Electrical has been delivered to the very highest standard and they fully understand the demands of the UK healthcare industry, something which is vital to our hospital’s continued success and commitment to further enhancing our standards of patient care.”

For more information about this project, contact Andrew Reeves or Tim Vaughan Tel: 01909 551148 or email: info@cumberlidge.com Website: www.acumberlidge.co.uk