New Lincoln hospital ward to be built like Lego

Two new wards comprising 56 beds in total are to be built at Lincoln County Hospital – made from 60 pre-fabricated sections transported to the city on lorries.

The new wards, costing £7.8m, are set to open early next February.

A factory in Yorkshire is currently making the steel frame and plasterboard wards in blocks.

The plan is to transport each section by road to Lincoln in early December – subject to planning permission – where the pieces will be slotted into place like blocks in a giant Lego set.

The two-storey ward buildings will be have brick cladding on the exterior.

Several shipments should be brought in daily between December 4 and 20, however, some of the earlier loads may have to travel after the Lincoln Christmas Market weekend.

Jonathan Brindley, spokesman for ModuleCO and PKL Healthcare, the companies involved in the scheme, said the construction method was a quick and efficient way of putting up new buildings.

"We completed a similar scheme at Bradford Royal Infirmary last year and we specialise in such hospital buildings," he said.

"In Lincoln, the hospital trust placed the order in September and the wards should be welcoming the first patients in February, which is fantastic," he said.

"The short turn around time from ordering to opening is a major advantage to hospitals who need to close wards and move patients for deep cleaning of wards as well as providing extra bed space."

For more on the new wards and what they will be used for, see Friday's Echo.