PFI specialist John Laing has reached financial close on a £361m hospitals scheme in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

The company is working in a consortium with facilities manager Sodexho on the project, which includes the construction of two hospitals. The contract will run for 37 years.

The hospitals have been designed by architect RyderHKS and will be built by Laing O’Rourke. The first is an 11,000m2 community facility, which will be known as Haywood Hospital. It is due for completion in 2009. The second is a 90,000m2 acute facility, to be called University Hospital of North Staffordshire, due for completion in 2014.

John Laing also recently reached financial close on a £300m project to develop an acute hospital at Larbert, Falkirk, for NHS Forth Valley. In addition, it has been appointed preferred bidder on a £75m scheme known as the Advance project, a mental health and learning disability development in Middlesbrough in the north-east of England.

In a joint venture with MTR Corporation, Laing has been appointed to run the London overground train service for Transport for London from November 2007.