Overton Electrical Services has completed the refurbishment of the Children’s and Newborn Hearing Screening Services department at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, delivering a soundproof specialist hearing test room and improved facilities for patients and colleagues.
Located within the Women and Children’s (Scarsdale Wing) area of the hospital, the project transformed existing clinical spaces to create a dedicated hearing test room, a new reception desk within the waiting area and a new soundproof assessment room.
The Children’s and Newborn Hearing Screening department provides vital hearing assessment and diagnostic services for babies, children and young people within Derbyshire, and the newly refurbished spaces enable clinicians to deliver these services in an improved environment designed to meet the technical and environmental requirements necessary for accurate hearing testing.
Overton Electrical Services acted as main contractor on the project delivering works between January and March this year, working alongside Tour Construction Ltd, Hallamshire Heating & Air Conditioning Ltd, Static Systems Group, Riley & Co Ltd and Hunter Communications.
The refurbishment involved converting former office space into a purpose-built soundproof assessment room equipped with new ventilation and air conditioning systems, as well as upgraded nurse call, small power, lighting and fire alarm installations. Additional works included the installation of a new reception desk, the creation of an assessment room in the former reception area, decoration throughout and the replacement of lighting within the waiting areas.
Due to the sensitive hospital environment, the works were carefully managed to minimise disruption and the construction area was fully sealed off from the rest of the hospital with the department closed for the duration of the project.
Sustainability was also a key consideration, and the scheme followed a refurbishment-led approach that prioritised the reuse and upgrade of existing building fabric wherever possible, helping to reduce embodied carbon by limiting demolition and replacement works.
Energy efficiency was improved through the installation of modern LED lighting within the waiting areas, reducing electricity consumption and maintenance requirements. The ventilation and air conditioning systems serving the soundproof assessment room were commissioned in line with manufacturer guidance to maintain the environmental conditions required for clinical use. Electrical systems including small power, nurse call and fire alarm infrastructure were installed and commissioned to current standards to ensure reliability and long-term performance.
Overton Electrical Services is currently in its fourth year as the sole framework contractor for Electrical Minor Works at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. The framework covers small power, lighting, nurse call and fire alarm works across the site. The company has also delivered several projects as main contractor for the Trust and has worked with DSFS since 2021 across a number of Royal Primary Care sites.
Matt Brocklehurst, Director of Overton Electrical Services, said: “We’re pleased to have delivered this refurbishment for the Children’s and Newborn Hearing Screening Services team at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. The spaces we’ve created play an important role in supporting the accurate assessment of hearing for babies, children and young people, so it was essential that the environment met the standards required for clinical use.
“As the Electrical Minor Works framework contractor for the hospital, we understand how important it is to carefully plan and deliver works within a healthcare setting. Our team worked closely with DSFS and the project partners to ensure the programme ran smoothly and the new facilities were completed to a high standard.
Beverley Markham, Children’s Hearing Services Manager said: “Thank you to the Trust for supporting us by funding the works – we’re delighted to have completed the refurbishment which has not only increased our clinical capacity but has also improved the testing environment for our patients. I cannot wait for our patients and their families to see it and for colleagues to use it. We are also looking forward to sharing the successful completion with IQIPS who are our external accreditation team.”
“Thank you to Overton Electrical Services, and other contractors, who carried out the work and special thanks to Carl and Regan from our DSFS Capital Projects team for their support and consideration throughout the project.”
