Specialist in the field, MTX, says Modern Methods of Construction have enabled it to achieve faster and more efficient completion of a new general surgery operating theatre at Yeovil District Hospital.
The single-storey unit includes the theatre suite with recovery rooms, a reception and waiting areas, office space, and a staff facility. Offsite-fabricated steel sections of the external shell were craned into position on the prepared site of a former car park before the installation of concrete screed floors and pre-manufactured walls. Once the single-storey structure was complete, the MTX team began installing mechanical, electrical, and plumbing elements, and fitting out work – including of furniture and specialised equipment. A plant equipment enclosure on top of the building accommodates air-handling units and electrical supply panels to serve the self-contained 420m² building within the original footprint.
The new theatre will principally help reduce waiting times for patients needing day surgery procedures – including breast surgery, dermatology, plastic surgery, and other general surgery.
MTX says Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) provide additional facilities considerably more quickly, with time on site reduced by up to 50%, lower costs, and a ‘greener build’, with by up to 60% less waste.
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. The day theatre’s location away from the main hospital building has freed up space in our main theatres for the more complex procedures, helping us reduce waiting times for patients across Somerset needing operations. “There has been a real change in the way we perform many operations, with some specialties able to offer day surgery, where patients can be assessed, treated, and sent home on the same day as their surgery.”
MTX worked on the project with Simply Serve – 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 MD, David Hartley explained: “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 undertaken concurrently.”
The former car park at Yeovil District Hospital includes an access route used by ambulances, so specific measures were implemented to manage site movements. For example, the crane lift onto the foundations was timed to minimise impacting other vehicle movements on the site, including of 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.
