Cumberland Infirmary
Architect: Llewelyn Davies Yeang (formerly Llewelyn Davies)
Customer: Interserve, Amec
This was the first PFI hospital to complete in the UK, and John Porter played an important role in ensuring that it completed on time, and on budget, meeting all technical standards.
The Cumberland Infirmary was the first major district general hospital to be completed under the Government's Private Finance Initiative, between Cumberland Hospital NHS Trust (now North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust) and Healthcare Managerial Group (HMG) - a consortium comprising of Interserve, Amec and the Bank of Scotland.
The consortium designed, built, financed and operated the new £67m, 460-bed acute hospital, while Interserve delivers facilities services on a daily basis, in partnership with Carlisle Hospital NHS Trust through a 30-year PFI contract, awarded in 1999.
The new Cumberland Infirmary, covering an area mass of 11,957 hectares, brought together three hospitals onto one site. It opened in April 2000, six weeks ahead of schedule by ex-Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
Designed and built by AMEC, the £87m hospital took 29 months to construct.
