In a recent major operating theatre design-and-build project for Whiston Hospital, specialist in critical ventilation systems for healthcare and life science projects, Medical Air Technology (MAT), joined main contractor, Warden Construction, to deliver ‘an outstanding new theatre suite’.
Whiston Hospital is an acute general hospital in Whiston, Merseyside, run by the Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (MWL). MAT and Warden Construction, who previously worked together at Ramsay Health Care’s Buckshaw Hospital, submitted a joint successful tender for the Whiston Hospital scheme which involved, in part, the strip-out and remodelling of a floor area of approximately 1,100 m2 to convert a section of the hospital’s third floor administration hub into a new operating theatre suite. In addition to housing theatres 14 and 15, the ultra-modern suite would feature two conventional operating theatres, an anaesthetic room, and a recovery room.
Planning began in 2020, with work beginning in 2023. Computers, desks, and other administrative equipment were cleared to make way for the complete redesign of the area for the theatres and ancillary spaces. MAT engineers then took over, installing the new theatre and recovery ventilation, and equipping each theatre with a full package of specialist equipment – including operating lights, theatre control panels, pendants, and a PACS system, all from Bender UK.
In addition to the theatres, the suite contains an anaesthetic room and five-bed recovery, with the ventilation designed by MAT to provide the optimal environment for pre- and post-operative care. Three new air-handling units were also required to boost the performance of the hospital’s HVAC systems, in line with HTM 03-01 (2021). The AHUs circulate air, clean pollutants, and regulate temperature, thus playing a vital role in hospital infection control.
.MAT said: “Everyone involved in the project, which was handed over on time and within budget, shared the same attention to detail and commitment to excellence. The suite will ensure that the hospital can continue to offer short waiting times and world-class facilities, with treatment delivered by dedicated clinical and support staff operating in the best possible environment for patients.”
MAT designs, manufactures, and installs bespoke critical ventilation systems and turnkey project solutions for new-build and refurbishment healthcare and life science projects.
