Exemplar Health Care – Cannock New Build Care Home

Exemplar Health Care (Exemplar) is one of the UK's leading nursing care providers for adults with complex and high acuity needs. With over 50 care services across England, Exemplar is dedicated to delivering high-quality care to individuals requiring person-centred support.

Project Overview

Exemplar appointed Pennington Choices to provide Employer’s Agent, Quantity Surveying, and Pre- and Post-Contract services for the construction of a new care home, Coronation Court, in Cannock, Staffordshire.

The 33-bedroom service was developed by transforming a former car park into a state-of-the-art nursing home, designed to provide nursing care for adults with complex needs. In addition to residential rooms, the care home features:

• Communal dining and living areas
• Sensory bathrooms
• An activities hub
• A therapy room
• A hair salon
• An accessible garden

The three-storey building features 33 ensuite rooms and will create around 100 new jobs, supporting individuals with brain injuries, dementia, mental health conditions, neuro-disabilities, and physical disabilities.

Our Approach

To successfully deliver the project, we appointed an experienced team, including a Head of Project Management and Cost Consultancy, a Senior Quantity Surveyor, and a Senior Project Manager. Our services included:

• Initial cost planning
• Creation of tender documents
• Tender analysis
• Production of the contract offering
• Pre-start meetings to ensure a smooth handover to the post-contract delivery team
• Chairing project meetings
• Issuing instructions
• Overseeing and managing the project from inception to completion
• Monthly financial evaluations and reporting to the client
• Cost forecasting each month to maintain budget control
• Predicting and mitigating any potential cost changes

The project was procured through the JCT 2016 Design and Build Contract. Having successfully delivered multiple projects for Exemplar, we have become a preferred and trusted partner, bringing in-depth knowledge of their operational requirements and ensuring seamless collaboration.

The Challenge

A challenge arose due to the site’s location near an ASDA superstore, which resulted in a lack of available power capacity in the local electricity grid. The home was completed and commissioned on a temporary supply from a generator whilst National Grid completed the necessary Infrastructure Upgrades in order to be able to supply the property. Typically this would involve a period of power outage to energise the new supply and remove the temporary feed, however a redesign on the layout of the incoming supply switching meant there was an instant switchover with no power outage for the facility

Our Achievements

Throughout the project, we implemented several energy-efficient measures to enhance sustainability and reduce operational costs. These included:

• Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP): Reducing heating and hot water costs while improving energy efficiency.
• Solar PV: Enhancing sustainability by lowering carbon emissions and electricity costs.
• Underfloor heating: Providing an energy-efficient, safe, and low-maintenance heating solution.
• Electric car charging: Encouraging and supporting electric car use and reduced emissions.

Additionally, the building was checked and registered to meet Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards, ensuring compliance with health and adult social care regulations in England.

Exemplar is committed to meeting its annual quota of bed spaces, and our ongoing collaboration plays a key role in achieving this target. Following the successful delivery of Coronation Court, we continue to support Exemplar with similar projects across the UK, including care homes in:

• Barnsley
• Bury
• Salford
• Coventry
• Coalville

Discover how we also supported Exemplar with our Employer’s Agent and Quantity Surveying works to refurbish a 37-bed South Elmsall care home here.