Medstor has provided the Cambridge University Hospitals Trust, one of the largest trusts in the country, with successful materials management and handling solutions for many years.
When the main theatre department at Addenbrooke’s Hospital wanted to improve storage and stock control in its 23 theatres, Medstor was ideally placed to design and deliver an effective bespoke system.
A similar storage improvement project had also been carried out by Medstor in the neurophysiology theatres in 2015, clearly showing the savings that could be made with efficient storage and better control over ordering; the hospital hoped to duplicate this success in its main theatre department, streamlining services by making it easier for staff to access supplies, ultimately saving money and enhancing patient care.
Installation
The theatres at Addenbrooke’s Hospital are in constant use throughout the week, so all installation had to be carried out during the weekends only over a four month period. Working in a live environment always presents particular challenges, but the experienced team from Medstor is used to working round them to meet deadlines and cause as little disruption as possible to the day to day running of the hospital. Careful liaison between theatre staff, the works department, the procurement team, the contract cleaners and Medstor ensured a workable schedule could be put together, with everyone involved focused on reaching the final successful outcome.
Product selection
Addenbrooke’s Hospital specified a selection of mobile storage cabinets, work surfaces, wall shelving and base cabinets from Medstor’s wide portfolio of storage solutions, all of which combine exceptional functionality with a stylish, modern design. Medstor cabinets are supplied with the company’s unique tray and liner system, which can be tailored to fit the exact needs of the end user.
Addenbrooke’s chose the Dual Bin design, a stock control system whereby useable stock is stored at the front of the tray and an emergency stock at the rear. Once the usable stock has been depleted, the emergency stock is brought forward (or the tray turned around) for use while new stock is reordered, supplied and restocked. This limits the need for specialist materials management staff to count and restock as departmental staff can carry out the process.
The Dual Bin solution was ideal for the theatres at Addenbrooke’s as the need to keep theatres sterile and in use during normal working hours often made it very difficult for materials management staff to count and restock effectively – simplifying this process so it could be carried out by departmental staff has saved time and streamlined processes in this busy theatre environment.
Quality by design
The storage solutions Medstor provided for Addenbrooke’s Hospital are typical of the highly effective products it designs for healthcare facilities throughout the world. Every element of each racking system or cabinet has beautifully simple, clean, sleek lines that not only complement the theatre or ward design but offer increased storage capacity, better cost efficiency through improved stock control, and dramatically enhanced infection control.
As everything made by Medstor is designed and built in-house in the UK, quality is controlled from start to finish, with a dedicated team working to guarantee the most successful and aesthetic utilisation of space.
