Medical Air Technology (MAT) is the main contractor on Wansbeck Hospital’s current refurbishment project, which sees the turnkey upgrade of six operating theatres including recovery, clean corridor, and adjacent auxiliary areas.
The theatres have been reconfigured for better workflow, with new ventilation to HTM 03-01 standards, medical gases, electrical installation, doors, furniture, sanitaryware and finishes.
And they will all be equipped with MAT’s flagship product, the ECO-flow ultraclean ventilation (UCV) system, and a range of surgical equipment from Bender UK, including operating lights and theatre control panels.
Operated by the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Wansbeck Hospital is a centre of excellence for planned and ongoing care, performing almost 7,000 operations every year, around half of which are orthopaedic operations such as hip and knee replacements.
The refurbishment will provide the hospital with more ultra-clean operating theatres, enabling a wider range of surgery and improving patient flow and other efficiencies.
Despite the pressures of working under the restraints of the Coronavirus pandemic, the project got off to a flying start.
And the phased delivery programme is scheduled for completion in spring 2022, with theatres 5 and 6 leading the way with expected handover in May this year.
Scott Muller, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon and lead for the project, said: “We have a highly-skilled workforce who deliver surgical care to people from across the region and beyond.
“With this investment, our theatres will become a state-of-the art facility that reflect the highest standards of care that our patients rightly expect.
“This redevelopment will ensure the facility remains best in class, thereby cementing Wansbeck hospital as a major provider of elective surgery for years to come.”
The MAT ECO-flow UCV System
The ECO-flow ultra-clean ventilation system uses laminar airflow, delivered via a canopy above the operating table and surgical team, to create a clean zone around the patient.
A ‘clean zone’ means it is free from bacteria-carrying airborne particles, significantly reducing the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs), which occur when a surgical incision site becomes infected after a procedure.
It is associated not only with increased morbidity, but also with substantial mortality and places a massive clinical and financial burden on the NHS.
MAT canopies are available in two standard models, depending on the size of clean zone required.
Wansbeck Hospital selected the ECO-flow 2.8m for theatres 1-4, and the larger ECO-flow 3.2m for theatres 5 and 6.
The theatre converts from general to ultra-clean in under an hour, allowing for greater flexibility of use.
Ultraclean conditions create the best environment for orthopaedic surgery and are specified in HTM 03-01, Specialised Ventilation for Healthcare Premises.
Wansbeck equipment package
Bender UK has supplied the medical IT power and theatre equipment, including six new PACS consoles with a 24ins membrane keyboard, medical grade PC and fanless cooling system.
These will be installed alongside the glass touch-screen theatre control panel, complete with PLC interface box.
In addition, the theatres feature high-performance, shadow-reducing Merivaara Q-Flow 2021 Q6i and Q4i dual cardanic twin-arm LED HD-ready operating lights.
A specialist contractor
MAT designs, manufactures, and installs bespoke critical ventilation systems and turnkey project solutions for new-build and refurbishment projects.
As a specialist contractor with many years experience, MAT is passionately committed to improving patient protection and end-user safety in demanding clinical, research and drug production arenas.
The company has extensive experience of working in live environments and understands the challenges around delivering a project within an operational scenario.
In addition, MAT FM provides 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.