Bender UK worked with Hexham General Hospital, part of the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, to design, supply and install a fully integrated turnkey hospital project that has delivered one of the most robust and electrically resilient theatre environments in the country.
Highlights:
- A smarter, more proactive, continuous monitoring approach for electrical infrastructure within the facility.
- Recognised for award-winning technology in clinical environments.
- The transformation of the facility into one of the UK’s most advanced and electrically resilient environments for clinical care.
- Greater visibility of electrical risk in theatres, imaging, endoscopy, maternity and recovery areas, with electrical resilience supporting patient safety.
Summary
Hexham General Hospital, part of the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, has undergone a major ground-breaking turnkey healthcare upgrade. The project set the foundation of an engineered approach to improve resilience and reduce operational and compliance risks. The aim of the project was to transform both the delivery of patient care and the management of the electrical infrastructure that supports critical areas across the hospital.
Like many hospitals in the UK, Hexham General Hospital faced challenges with ageing electrical infrastructure, an increasing demand on electrical load, and legacy cabling that was not designed to cope with the growing number of electrical devices used in surgery, diagnostics and patient care.
Prior to the work, the Trust's leaders were already pursuing an ambitious, transformative vision to create state-of-the-art theatre suites equipped with consistent technology and equipment across the hospital's entire estate. The Trust required a high-quality environment and needed earlier visibility of electrical failure.
Challenge
The hospital faced many challenges with ageing electrical infrastructure, with increasing demand on electrical load, and legacy cabling that was not designed to cope with the growing number of electrical devices used in surgery, diagnostics, and patient treatment.
In addition to challenges with ageing electrical infrastructure, the hospital wanted to eliminate unplanned electrical disturbances in operating theatres, imaging suites, and treatment areas, where critical patient care is required.
A partner with knowledge and expertise in electrical safety was required to tackle these challenges. As well as knowledge and expertise, they also needed a trusted partner that understood Medical IT power, operating theatre design, clinical dependency, and estates workflow.
Solution
The Bender project team worked in close collaboration with a number of healthcare professionals, architects, and engineers on a structured discovery phase, which formed part of the hospital’s multi-million redevelopment programme. This was used to support the Trust in ensuring it can deliver a wider range of procedures in the future.
In agreement, the solution was a fully integrated range of Bender healthcare-specific capabilities, which resulted in a fully integrated turnkey solution project, delivering one of the most robust and electrically resilient theatre environments in the UK.
The installation encompassed four operating theatres, a five-bed recovery unit, endoscopy suites, and dental facilities.
Bender designed, supplied and installed medical IT systems, uninterruptible power supplies for critical load resilience, Bender Pusle proactive service solution, PACS panels, CP9 theatre control panels, and Merivaara Q-Flow operating lights were also integrated into the operating theatres and surgical spaces.
Outcomes
This project has delivered significant benefits for Hexham General Hospital, creating a seamless, future‑ready clinical environment and supporting a shift towards proactive, intelligence‑led estates management.
- The Trust now benefits from a resilient, future‑proof electrical infrastructure supporting modern clinical care.
- Electrical safety and resilience have been strengthened across critical clinical areas, protecting patients and staff.
- Continuity of patient care has improved, with reduced risk of unplanned downtime and theatre disruption.
- Clinical environments are now standardised, supporting consistent workflows across theatres.
- Estates teams operate proactively, planning maintenance around clinical demand and reducing emergency interventions.
