CONSTRUCTION company Bluestone has won a £1.7m contract to create a refurbished and enlarged cellular pathology wing at Southampton General Hospital in what is the latest in a long line of project wins for the company in the healthcare sector.

The work, which is being carried out from Bluestone's Fareham office, is due to start this month and the unit will be ready for use by the middle of next year.

Bluestone has completed more than £9.3m of healthcare work from its Fareham office in the last two years alone, including the completion of several new units at The Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, and the creation of a new dermatology unit at St. Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth.

Bluestone is also currently involved in the construction of a new renal unit at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and a new health campus in Wells, two projects with a combined value of £15m.

The Southampton General project involves the refurbishment of the existing cytology block, with the existing laboratories being stripped and re-fitted.

In addition to this, Bluestone is building a rooftop extension onto the existing structure, which will add a new department to the current unit. The extension will be fitted with laboratory furniture, and fitted with brand new ventilation, drainage and electrical systems.

Peter Baggott, business area director at Bluestone, said: "The fact that Bluestone has won this contract is a testament to the specialist knowledge it has of working on this sort of project.

"Special care is required when working on a site still in partial use, such as is the case here.''