Circle Reading Hospital completes construction of structural frame

VINCI Construction UK has completed the structural frame of a brand new £50m state-of-the-art hospital in Reading.  The hospital will include five operating theatres, 30 in-patient beds and 20 day patient beds.

The hospital is being built by the same award-winning design and build team as Circle hospital in Bath, and, when opened in August 2012, will offer treatment in luxury surroundings, improving the hospital experience for both NHS and private patients.

Circle is owned and run by its clinicians and aims to complement local NHS hospitals.  The new hospital is expected to create around 200 new jobs in Reading.

Stuart Cunliffe-Jones, Senior Project Manager at VINCI Construction UK said:

“We are thrilled to have reached this important milestone in building the new Circle Reading hospital, on time and on budget. The frame has been constructed using precast concrete slabs that were specially designed for Circle Hospitals.  These have reduced the amount of materials and reduced the frame erection time.  Circle are actively working with their framework partners to design hospitals that are quicker, easier and cheaper to build.

Ali Parsa, chief executive of Circle, said:

"The Circle Reading project is gaining momentum month by month.  Our mission is to push the boundaries of patient experience and clinical quality by giving local consultants, clinicians and healthcare professionals ownership and control of their hospital, so that they can do as they judge best for the patients they know best.  We look forward to opening our doors to serve Reading patients next year.”

Published: 19/07/11