A new modular laminar flow operating theatre at Newark Hospital in Nottinghamshire can now deliver up to 2,600 extra surgical procedures per year, thanks to the efforts of a collaborative construction team.
The project, funded by NHS England’s Targeted Investment Fund (TIF), was procured through the ESPO Property, Building and Infrastructure Advice, & Management Services Framework, with multidisciplinary consultancy, Pick Everard delivering architecture, landscape architecture, and principal designer services, Hexa Consulting acting as structural engineers, and Pulse Consultants as project managers.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust says the Newark Elective Hub will significantly increase Newark Hospital’s service offering and improve patient access, care, and waiting times within the local community. Connected to the main hospital via a new link corridor, the new theatre will allow up to 50 extra procedures per week to be carried out, complementing existing orthopaedic and trauma services. Its construction using modular design concepts minimised on-site construction time, allowing for most of the implementation of the new suite to take place over a single weekend. As well as the laminar flow theatre, the suite incorporates a new recovery area, anaesthetic room, scrub facilities, and a new staff change area.
Devika Parmar, director at Pick Everard, said: “This project is hugely beneficial to Newark’s healthcare offering, affording residents closer access to high quality healthcare without the need to travel outside the area. It also benefits staff and their operations greatly, with the new link corridor ensuring that services such as waste collection can be navigated through the existing facilities in one seamless transfer. We now look forward to the new operating theatre becoming a cornerstone of Newark Hospital’s service offering, delivering enhanced value to local communities.”
As well as the social value the new operating theatre brings to the area, the localised service is estimated to deliver a reduction in carbon footprint by 12 kg per patient, due to reduced travel time and distance to nearby health services.
David Ainsworth, director of strategy and partnerships for the Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “This is a really exciting time for Newark Hospital, our patients, and our colleagues. Thanks to the efforts of Pick Everard and the wider project team, the new operating theatre means more patients can get the treatment they need and get back to living a fuller life, faster.
The hospital has a long history in the area, and the theatre is just the latest aspect of our plans to make the best use of its potential, as well as what it adds to the wider Newark community.”
Further elements to the project – including landscaping works and refurbishments to other areas in the hospital – are to be delivered over coming weeks.
