Vigo Hospital: ACCIONA's efficiency creating a better health service

The Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital in Vigo came into operation in June 2015. ACCIONA played an important role in this project after collaborating in its design and being commissioned to construct and finance it. Since then, together with its partners, it has managed various non-clinical services at the centre, which serves more than half a million users.

The latest healthcare survey by the Sociological Research Centre published in March 2019 confirms Spanish citizens’ excellent opinion of their public health service, which is higher than that obtained by the majority of the world’s most advanced countries. In Spain there is broad social consensus about the need to maintain the quality of this service, ensure its financial sustainability and improve its efficiency. Modernisation of the healthcare system has become a priority, both in terms its medical practices, equipment and its management methods. The public-private partnership (PPP) model has therefore proved to be an extremely useful tool. This is the model under which the consortium led by ACCIONA participated in the project to design, construct and finance the Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital in Vigo, and under which it currently manages various non-clinical services together with Puentes y Calzadas, Veolia and Concessia.

The largest hospital infrastructure in Galicia

Vigo Hospital began operating on 29 June 2015, marking the end of the 36 months that it took to construct the largest public healthcare project in Galicia. The scale of the project is reflected in various figures. The total built floor area of the hospital is greater than 280,000 m², equivalent to 29 football pitches. It has a maximum capacity of 1,465 beds, 24 operating theatres, 155 external consulting rooms and it serves more than half a million users.

The hospital has an accident and emergency service covering more than 6,000 m2, the largest in Galicia. It has a large 1,700 m2 research laboratory and 70% of its rooms are individual. It is an infrastructure project in which quantity goes hand-in-hand with quality, illustrated by the fact that it was presented the “Future Health Project 2012” international award by the International Academy for Design and Health, as the best European project in the healthcare field. It is also the first Spanish healthcare building recognised by the "BREEAM ES" international certification for its environmental features in terms of sustainability, energy efficiency and environmental-friendliness.

Intense activity

Following the opening of the hospital, different services came into operation, from the day hospital, which began to operate within one month, through to the opening of the accident and emergency unit, which was operational in less than three months. The first baby was born in the hospital on 25 September 2015. In 2018, there were more than 35,000 hospital admissions, more than 13,000 surgical interventions and around 418,000 consultations.

As the project progressed, ACCIONA’s involvement in Vigo Hospital has not been limited to the design, construction and financing of the building. The consortium led by ACCIONA is responsible for various non-clinical services at the hospital for a period of 20 years, which includes general maintenance, catering, the laundry and cleaning services (the latter provided by ACCIONA Service) and the security, among others. The statistics also show the scale of the service that is being provided. In 2018, more than 121,000 meals were provided to patients and on-call staff; every month more than 200,000 kg of white laundry was washed (sheets, blankets, quilts, etc.) and some 127,000 set menus and more than 560,000 coffees were served in the hospital’s cafes.

ACCIONA, specialists in hospital services

ACCIONA Concessions manages turnkey projects to construct, finance and operate hospital infrastructures under public-private partnerships, both in Spain and internationally. In little more than a decade, it has built a solid reputation, managing four centres in Spain and one in Mexico under concession arrangements, providing more than 3,000 hospital beds.

ACCIONA is involved in the quality of the service that these centres provide from the moment that they are conceived – in their design and construction, creating spaces that offer the optimum conditions for user access; designing facilities that maximise energy savings and reduce the environmental impact; and incorporating the most advanced technologies into their equipment. Once construction of these hospital complexes is complete, ACCIONA Concessions ensures that the optimum conditions exist for the public service to be provided effectively and efficiently. Through its professionalism and a human touch it ensures that users experience the best possible service, because when it comes to healthcare, you cannot have too much care.