OPERATION OFFSITE

Offsite construction has enabled MTX to achieve faster and more efficient completion of a new general surgery operating theatre at Yeovil District Hospital.

Offsite fabricated steel sections of the external shell were craned into position on the prepared site of a former car park at the hospital before concrete screed floors and premanufactured walls were installed. The single storey unit includes the theatre suite with recovery rooms, reception and waiting areas, office space and a dedicated staff facility.

Once the single storey structure was complete, the MTX team began installation of mechanical, electrical and plumbing elements, and fitting out including furniture and specialised equipment. A plant equipment enclosure located on top of the building accommodates air handling units and electrical supply panels to serve the self-contained 420sq m building within the original footprint.

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) are increasingly being chosen by NHS Trusts because they meet Government requirements for adopting offsite construction techniques. They provide additional facilities more quickly with time onsite reduced by up to 50%, reduced costs and a greener build with offsite construction reducing waste by up to 60%.

The new theatre will principally help reduce waiting times for patients needing day-surgery procedures –breast surgery, dermatology, plastic surgery and other general surgery.

Caroline Osborne, a consultant breast surgeon at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Yeovil District Hospital, said: “We’re so pleased to have opened our new day theatre, which means our team of surgeons can perform many more operations at Yeovil. With the day theatre located away from the main hospital building, it has freed up space in our main hospital theatres for the more complex procedures, helping us to reduce the waiting times for patients across Somerset who need operations.

“There has been a real change in the way we perform many operations in Somerset with some specialties able to offer day surgery, where patients can be assessed, treated and go home on the same day as their surgery, rather than staying overnight in hospital. We’ve had great feedback from patients on this approach.”

MTX worked on the project with Simply Serve Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which provides a broad range of services to the hospital and other organisations, including management of capital projects.

MTX Managing Director David Hartley explains: “Proven expertise in employing MMC enables us to quickly deliver high quality new hospital facilities cost effectively. The operating theatres and other facilities we create for NHS Trusts are specifically engineered for medical use with ventilation systems designed to optimise clean air flow and meet clinical needs. Offsite construction takes place while the site is being prepared, enabling the two activities to be carried our concurrently.”

MTX has extensive experience of working in busy locations within hospital sites, and its staff are skilled in optimising progress while minimising impact on existing clinical services and patients. The former car park at Yeovil District Hospital includes an access route used by ambulances, so specific measures were put in place to manage site movements. For example, the crane lift onto the foundations was timed to minimise impacting other vehicle movements on the site, including ambulances.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust runs both acute hospitals in Somerset –Yeovil District Hospital and Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, along with a quarter of Somerset’s GP practices, services from 13 community hospitals, community-based services and mental health and learning disability services.

For more information visit: www.mtx.co.uk

Images: 01-03. Yeovil District Hospital