For our latest MRP Blog we asked the project’s Commissioning and Migration Manager, Lisa Armitage, to tell us about what work is happening to develop our commissioning, migration and soft landings strategies which aim to help us transition to the new University Hospital Monklands.

Lisa gave us a high-level overview of some of the areas the team are focusing on currently: 

“We continue to work with key stakeholders and members of our project team to develop commissioning, migration and soft landings strategies for the Monklands Replacement Project (MRP). These strategies help to plan out the process of moving all staff, equipment and systems to the new hospital as it becomes operational. The project’s aim is to do this as seamlessly as possible to ensure the smooth running of the hospital from day one. The MRP is keen to respond to lessons learned from other projects by acknowledging the importance of considering the commissioning, migration and soft landings processes as early as possible in the project’s timeline to avoid programme delays which have been experienced by other projects in the past.

 

A Commissioning and Soft Landings Sub-Group (CSLSG) has been set up to ensure progress continues to be made, with several workstream leads compiling reports for each meeting. The Soft Landings Champion for the project also attends to ensure the interests of those who plan, design and construct the hospital are aligned with those who will eventually operate and use it. The CSLSG also has representation from our equipping workstream, digital workstream and service redesign workstream, among others who help to take forward the work required to complete the strategies for each stage of the project.

 

The standard operating procedures and migration workstream, which also reports into CSLSG, will work on the development of a migration strategy which sets out procedures for moving which aim to minimise disruption to staff and patients. The use of site visits, staff training and an “immersive suite” to familiarise staff with the new hospital layout will be part of this strategy. This will be developed along with our construction partner, Laing O’Rourke, who bring a wealth of experience in the completion of similar projects.

 

As we progress to submission of our full business case in 2025 this workstream will continue to focus on advance planning to ensure that patients, staff and visitors benefit from a seamless transition to the new state-of-the-art facility in NHS Lanarkshire.”