A twin ultraclean ventilation (UCV) operating theatre project undertaken by Medical Air Technology (MAT) for Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust illustrates the many benefits of a employing a specialist contractor to deliver a total turnkey solution, the company says.
MAT was brought in to design and refurbish two new ultraclean operating theatre suites, working closely with the Trust’s Estates team under main contractor, Tilbury Douglas Construction. The project was delivered successfully in two phases, and MAT says it was thrilled to receive this glowing feedback from Colin Plant, the Trust’s Project director:
“Following the final works within theatres 5 and 6, I wanted to thank you and your team for all of your professional efforts to achieve completion. The refurbishment of the theatres – including the provision of new ultraclean ventilation systems – is to a high standard, provides value for money, and was completed before the Christmas break, as planned.
“Your efforts have brought a facility and equipment that was well beyond its normal life expectancy up to modern standards – and provided a top-class environment for patients and staff alike. Well done, and I look forward to working with the team on similar schemes.”
The Trust wanted to totally refit two of its operating theatres, upgrading them to ultraclean, and replacing the critical ventilation systems, thus making them suitable for a wider range of surgery, including orthopaedics. To achieve this, MAT installed its ‘energy-efficient’ ECO-flow 3200 ultraclean ventilation (UCV) canopies, complete with pendants. Bender UK supplied operating lights, theatre control panels, picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), and IPS/UPS power systems. The theatre suites and exit bay were fully refurbished, with new air-handling plant, heat recovery, ductwork, controls, doors, furniture, sanitaryware, and walls and floor finishes.
The short programme only allowed nine weeks per theatre, with one week between phases. One challenge that MAT engineers faced was the difficult high-level access to the plantroom and theatres, which was reached via a scaffold across a courtyard. However, this did not prevent the project from progressing smoothly, and being delivered on time and to budget.
MAT maintains that a total turnkey installation ‘streamlines process and saves time and money’. The company said: “It eliminates the problem of having to deal with multiple suppliers, and delivers a solution immediately ready to use on completion. Customers benefit from a more personalised service and a designated account contact. Issues are addressed as a whole, not in parts, avoiding the inconvenience of coordinating an array of often disparate trades and equipment. In short, it makes everything easier for the customer, as well as being more cost-effective.”
MAT designs, manufactures, and installs bespoke critical ventilation systems and turnkey project solutions for new-build and refurbishment projects. It said: “As a specialist contractor with many years’ experience, we are passionately committed to improving patient protection and end-user safety in demanding clinical, research, and drug production arenas. We have extensive experience of working in live environments. and understand the challenges around delivering a project within an operational scenario.”
MAT FM, meanwhile, provides what it describes as ‘a range of competitively-priced and highly effective service and maintenance packages for all core products and turnkey solutions offered by MAT or other suppliers, ensuring that equipment is maintained, serviced and validated correctly for optimum performance’.
