Main benefits:
• The largest maternity service in Western Europe on one site
• A landmark children’s hospital
• A dedicated planned care and rehabilitation hospital
• Smaller wards (reduced from 32 beds to 24) to improve patient care
• A reduction in the size of ward bays (accommodating four beds instead of six)
• Providing an average of 33% of all patient beds in single rooms based on clinical need
• Increased distance between beds improving infection control and increasing patient privacy
• Better hand washing facilities and domestic services
• Flexibility to increase bed capacity
• State-of-the-art clinical research centre
§ Emergency and planned care split, reducing the risk of cancelled operations
• Multi-Professional Education & Training (MPET) Centre to be developed in partnership with De Montfort University and the University of Leicester Medical School to provide innovative shared multi-professional teaching and clinical skills education and training.
• Multi-storey car park at LRI

Dr Peter Reading, chief executive of UHL, said: "I am delighted to announce that the Trust has chosen the joint venture partnership of Equion, a division of John Laing plc and Serco Group Plc as its Preferred Candidate to deliver the Pathway project. The Trust is confident that the joint venture’s combination of skill and experience from planning and funding through to design, construction and operation is the best choice for Pathway."

Serco Health will be responsible for the delivery of all Facilities Management services (eg. asset maintenance, help desk, catering, security, car parking, grounds, laundry) and Laing O'Rourke will be responsible for all design and construction.

Richard Weston, managing director at Equion said: "We are delighted to have been awarded this project. As well as giving Leicestershire some of the best hospital facilities in the country, the Pathway project will boost the local economy by creating in the region of 1,000 construction jobs for local people over the five year construction period."

Mike Brown, chief executive officer for Serco Government Services said: "We are proud to be associated with this very exciting project. Serco will be working in partnership with the key stakeholders to provide and manage modern hospitals and state-of-the-art facilities. These facilities and the innovative solutions provided by Serco will deliver direct benefit to patients and staff." 

Pathway will now enter into the next phase of the project which involves developing detailed designs and contracts.  This phase will end with a legal contract being signed in Spring 2006.

The first buildings are expected to be complete in 2009 with the overall project finishing in 2011.

ENDS

To arrange an interview with Dr Peter Reading, UHL chief executive please call Melanie Wright, media communications manager on 0116 258 8524.

For further information please call:
Christine Jones, PR and Marketing Manager at Equion on 020 7901 3290.
David Brotzen, Press and Media Relations at Serco on 020 8334 4122.

Notes for Editors

1. Overall benefits of the Pathway Project:
· Ward bays across the three sites will reduce in size to accommodate four beds instead of six.  Together these will give patients more dignity and privacy than ever before.
· Infection control has also been given priority consideration. Distance between beds in the new buildings will reflect the latest and best national standards and guidelines. Better hand washing facilities and domestic services designed to tackle cleanliness head on will all aid the prevention and reduction of hospital related infections.
· As well as giving Leicestershire some of the best hospital facilities in the country, the project will boost the local economy by creating in the region of 1,000 construction jobs for local people over the five year construction period.
· New buildings will be built to the latest standards and existing buildings brought up-to-date by extensive refurbishments to a high specification and standard.
· Flexibility has been designed into each site so that bed capacity can be increased should it be required.
· The separation of planned care (at Leicester General Hospital) from emergency care (at Glenfield Hospital and Leicester Royal Infirmary) will help the reduce the number of cancelled operations.
· More staff will be recruited to provide clinical and support services within the reconfigured estate
· Staff recruitment and retention will benefit from a greatly enhanced working environment. 
· Improved access and parking for patients, visitors and staff including a multi-storey car park at the LRI. Better transport facilities to and between the three sites.
· There will be a broader mix of shops and catering facilities, bringing wider employment opportunities. Dedicated meet and greet services will offer patients and visitors printed directions to where they want to go within each hospital. 
· Improved security.
· It will position UHL favourably in light of Patient Choice offering first class facilities and attractive environments for patients.

2. Pathway will greatly enhance Leicester’s health education, training and research facilities in partnership with the University of Leicester and De Montfort University. The proposed centre will provide shared teaching, clinical skill centres, library and necessary office facilities which will be used by the Trust, De Montfort University and the University of Leicester Medical School to assist in the delivery of the educational objectives of the NHS Plan.

3. Equion, a division of John Laing plc is a specialist provider of facilities in the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) arena. Equion offers a combination of skills and experience, from planning and funding through to design, construction and operation, in sector spanning healthcare, education, police, defence and regeneration projects. It has a wealth of experience in acute hospital projects and has a proven track record of delivering on time and to budget. Other acute hospital projects include schemes at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital - one of the first PFI hospital contracts in the UK - and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, London.

4.Serco is one of the world's largest service companies operating on a global basis in a diverse range of sectors, including defence, aerospace, and science, public transport and traffic management, health and education, justice and local government. In December 2004, Serco was named as Britain's most admired support services company and 6th most admired British company overall in the Management Today magazine survey.

5. Laing O'Rourke is one of the UK's leading constructors, a global business with a turnover approaching £2bn and over 16,000 employees worldwide. The organisation has a formidable reputation for delivering innovative on-time and on-budget construction solutions to some of Britain's most complex and demanding projects including Terminal 5, Heathrow and the new Eurostar terminal in central London.

Laing O'Rourke is at the forefront of many large-scale projects in healthcare, education, law and order and defence as well as constructing roads, railways, tunnels and bridges in the infrastructure sector.

Through its considerable involvement in PPP (Public Private Partnership) related projects, the Group is fulfilling its commitment to building a brighter, better and more sustainable future for the communities it serves.