Modular building specialist, MTX Contracts, has begun work at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital to erect a new 48-bed critical care building, which will triple the number of ICU beds there.
The hospital currently has 16 dedicated adult ICU beds, and, during the pandemic, other beds have also been used for intensive care. The £29 m building is part of a regional approach for managing critical care demand and activity through the pandemic, and will also help alleviate future seasonal and epidemic pressures. The project’s first phase is due to finish this Spring, with full completion later this year.
Current plans are for five floors (three clinical, one for storage / plant, and one non-clinical), improved storage facilities, a seminar room, a staff room, and additional office space. The planning application stressed that the newly-created Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care System (BOB ICS), ‘urgently requires increased critical care capacity to cover the South East region’.
Modular buildings are increasingly used by Trusts to provide additional facilities in shorter time scales. MTX MD, David Hartley, said: “The MMC (Modern Methods of Construction) approach enables us to quickly deliver high-quality new hospital facilities cost-effectively. Our modular healthcare buildings are specifically created for medical use, with mechanical ventilation systems designed to optimise clean air flow and meet clinical needs.”
The John Radcliffe Hospital is Oxfordshire's main A&E site, providing acute medical and surgical services including trauma, intensive care, and cardiothoracic services. Dr Bruno Holthof, CEO at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are incredibly pleased about this new building. Not only will it improve our critical care environment, but it will also help us in planning for future demands."
