By Lesley Aitken, MRP Community Benefits Engagement Lead (Pictured above)

There has been a lot happening this past year. We had planning approval granted by North Lanarkshire Council in June 2024. This was a huge milestone for the project and paved the way for settlement trials to take place on the site of the new hospital at Wester Moffat at the end of the summer period. Locals to the area may well have noticed an increase in construction traffic during that time. The design process continues to move forward and work is well underway for the submission of the Full Business Case to Scottish Government in 2025.

The delivery of the MRP Community Benefits

You may recall that Laing O’Rourke (LOR) were appointed as the preferred construction partner in August 2023. Whilst delivery of the MRP Community Benefit Requirements are aligned to the whole lifecycle of the project, with the main delivery during the construction phase, LOR have begun their delivery of Community Benefits under the current Pre-Construction Services Agreement.

In delivering across the theme of economic benefits and in preparation for construction, LOR have been engaging with the supply chain and have hosted two Meet the Buyer events at Airdrie FC Excelsior Stadium in March and July 2024. These events provided Laing O’Rourke with the opportunity to demonstrate the opportunities and to meet the potential supply chain. Both dates were well attended and supported by the NHS Lanarkshire MRP team. A market testing exercise is now underway.

Laing O’Rourke also attended the Scottish National Market Place live Constructionline Meet the Buyer Event in June 2024 and provided information to the supply chain on the market testing exercise to being carried out and requirements for future tender submissions.

Delivery across the training theme has also begun. LOR have also been engaging with the future workforce attending numerous school career events across Lanarkshire and have been working with the DYW (Developing the Young Workforce) to deliver STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) events, showcasing careers in construction and the future employment opportunities the MRP will provide. As the project progresses into the next phase, activity will increase.

Planning continues for delivery across the employment, environmental and community priority themes.

Summer School

The project has also been delivering Community Benefits directly. The project brings an opportunity to engage with young people across Lanarkshire and provide real-life work experience opportunities.

We had our second Summer School in July 2024, focusing on Facilities Management (FM) and the people who make our buildings work. Eight students from schools across Lanarkshire attended for five mornings. They received a tour of the hospital and insight from our colleagues who deliver both “hard” and “soft” FM services. The students worked through a task and presented back to invited guests at the end ofthe week. The NHS Lanarkshire employability team also provided a session and information on how to access NHS careers. It was another fantastic week to work withour young people and see their enthusiasm.