Equion consists of John Laing, Laing O’Rourke and Interserve, The consortium will design and build the PFI scheme at Pembury.

The consortium is working on detailed designs for the new hospital and mental health unit, which will be the first acute hospital in the country with 100% single rooms. Equion will submit a planning application to the local authority for the development in early 2007.

The new hospital, which is 65,000 sq metres and seven storeys high, includes planned and emergency surgery, orthopaedics, a women and children’s zone, day case theatres, outpatient services and a mental health unit. 

Jackie Churchward-Cardiff, project director at Equion said: “The environmental setting of the Pembury site and the requirement to design 100% single rooms, provides a unique opportunity to build a fantastic hospital which sets a new standard for patient care in this country.”