Category: Healthcare
We are proud to announce an Outstanding 46/45 score in its latest Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) audit for the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston (UHBW) NHS Trust & Stepnell Strategic Partnership across the UHBW hospital campus in Bristol.
This exceptional result places the project among the highest-performing construction sites in the UK, with the team achieving the maximum 15/15 score across all three CCS categories — Respect the Community, Care for the Environment, and Value their Workforce — plus an additional Best Practice award.
Delivering excellence across the UHBW campus
The Stepnell team is currently delivering multiple improvement and upgrade projects across the UHBW campus of acute hospitals, with five live projects operating across three hospital sites.
Current projects include:
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU): Refurbishment and upgrade works of the NICU.
- Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU): Refurbishment and upgrade of the CICU.
- MRI Suite Transformation: Conversion of a former MRI suite into new consultation rooms and essential office accommodation.
- Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre: A major demolition project supporting wider estate development.
- Campus-wide upgrades: Works delivered across the Trust estate, with three specific projects currently underway at St Michael’s Hospital.
The majority of these schemes are being delivered through the Procure Partnerships Framework, supporting efficient, collaborative delivery across the Trust’s healthcare estate.
Managing multiple projects within live clinical settings requires the utmost sensitivity and care at all times.
The CCS Monitor praised the team’s approach, noting that “current processes and systems have been well established to suit the specific requirements of the site locations.”
Delivering safely in a live healthcare environment
Close collaboration with clinical teams was central to the project’s success. Daily coordination meetings ensured works were carefully planned around patient care, with the Stepnell team trusted to manage critical interfaces directly.
Despite challenges such as evolving infection prevention requirements and complex decanting arrangements, the project team responded proactively — extending surveys, refining methodologies and delivering additional short-notice works to support ongoing clinical operations.
Respecting the community — beyond the site boundary
The CCS Monitor highlighted the team’s professional site setup and proactive engagement, including regular communication with hospital teams and visible feedback channels via QR codes.
Beyond day-to-day site management, the project team delivered meaningful social value, including:
- Over £2,000 raised for the Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity through the Big Bristol Abseil, with team members descending 100ft from the hospital roof.
- £1,800 funded and volunteer days donated to refurbish the NICU Butterfly Room, creating a calm and dignified space for bereaved families, in partnership with Cots for Tots.
- Thoughtful gestures for hospital staff, including thank-you notes and treats for NICU nurses during particularly demanding periods.
- Support for local education, including Year 11 mock interview sessions at Oasis Academy John Williams.
- Careers engagement at the University of the West of England, which directly led to a trainee site manager joining the team permanently at UHBW.
These initiatives helped build trust, minimise disruption and reinforce Stepnell’s commitment to being a considerate and collaborative partner within the healthcare estate.
Environmental leadership in a refurbishment setting
Delivering environmental best practice within refurbishment projects can be challenging, yet the team achieved outstanding results:
- 100% of waste diverted from landfill, with 81% recovered on site.
- ISO 14001-aligned environmental management and carbon reduction planning.
- Volunteer days supporting biodiversity, including pond creation, fencing installation at Alveston Nature Area, and seven days dedicated to city-wide tree planting.
- PPE recycling, battery banks and clear waste segregation implemented across site.
The CCS Monitor recognised the maturity of the project’s environmental systems and the team’s commitment to supporting net-zero ambitions.
Valuing and protecting the workforce
Workforce wellbeing was a clear strength of the project, with the CCS monitor noting:
- ISO 45001-accredited health and safety management
- Advanced safety technology including HEPAcarts, ventilated hoods and thermal imaging to manage biological and hot works risks in live environments
- Mental Health First Aiders available regionally
- Health and wellbeing initiatives, including blood pressure monitoring, neurodiversity awareness and inclusive welfare facilities.
- Clear investment in career development, with team members progressing into senior roles during the project
The additional Best Practice point was awarded specifically for the innovative use of health and safety technology in a live healthcare setting.
A blueprint for outstanding construction excellence
This Outstanding CCS result reflects Stepnell’s wider commitment to delivering safe, sustainable and socially responsible construction — particularly within complex healthcare environments.
As the CCS monitor concluded, the site team demonstrated a clear and genuine commitment to the Code of Considerate Practice, embedding it into everyday decision-making rather than treating it as a compliance exercise.
