NRC teams volunteer hundreds of hours to community projects

New lighting in schools, refurbishing a local wellbeing centre and donations totalling almost £60,000 are just some of the ways our healthcare joint venture, Integrated Health Projects, has given back to the community of Loughborough.

The construction of the 70-bed National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) is being carried out by Integrated Health Projects (IHP), a joint venture between Sir Robert McAlpine and VINCI Building UK, and investing in the local community has been central since the beginning of the programme.

The NRC will be run by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust when it opens to patients later this year and aims to transform rehabilitation in the UK.

Our colleagues have volunteered 988 hours of their time within a 20-mile radius of the NRC and paid for the materials to deliver a variety of projects. These include:

• Renovating the lighting system at a local school to reduce energy costs
• Refurbishing the interior of the Loughborough Wellbeing Centre CIO
• Mentoring students at Nottingham Trent University
• Running 50 education events, including interactive workshops and career fairs
• Volunteering at local scout groups for activities, games, hikes and challenges
• Providing lighting and sound support for local school Christmas shows
• Donating 263 ‘crisis packs’ to the Emergency Department at NUH in partnership with Redthread charity, containing items such as clean underwear, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, body wash and soap for patients in urgent need
• Donating 60 ‘wellbeing bags’ to Loughborough Wellbeing Centre to support their clients over the Christmas period.

In addition, IHP has supported the local area by employing more than 150 local employees and eight apprentices, and ran 41 weeks’ worth of work placements for people aspiring to work in the construction industry.

Miriam Duffy, NRC Director, said: “The commitment to social value was one of the key factors in our decision to select IHP and we’re delighted to see the impact they have had on our local communities.

“The NRC is about improving the lives of our patients through rehabilitation following a serious illness or injury. I’m pleased that the building of such an important centre has also had a positive impact locally.”

One key project has been refurbishing the lighting system at the nearby St Peters Church of England Primary School in Loughborough to help them to save 27% of their annual energy costs.

This project was especially fitting as the design of the NRC uses modern methods of construction and will be the first operational carbon neutral NHS building in the country. 

TClarke, the project's Mechanical and Electrical contractor, spent 332 hours replacing faulty equipment with newer and more energy efficient lighting.

Elsewhere, we refurbished the Loughborough Wellbeing Centre, which provides a safe and supportive place for adults experiencing mental health problems. This included installing sustainable, energy-efficient lighting and creating a new café area (see right). 

Helen Carter, CEO at the Loughborough Wellness Centre, said: “Through the works provided so far, we have already seen a difference with new cost-effective lighting being installed and creating a new cafe space for our Wellbeing Cafe within our building.

“We are so grateful to have the support of IHP, Clear Engagement, TClarke, and Sherwood Interiors Limited to enable these improvements. The works that you and your team have carried out have been greatly appreciated and have created a calmer space for our mental health charity beneficiaries which has been very well received by all.”

The £105million NRC programme will create a specialist facility combining NHS care with research and innovation and is part of the New Hospital Programme.