On January 29, Medical Air Technology (MAT) handed over two newly refurbished operating theatres at the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton, on time and within budget.
The project was undertaken within a tight four-month schedule. “The two theatres’ refurbishment has improved flexibility due to four out of the five theatres here at GEH now providing ultra-clean ventilation, which has increased patient flow,” explained the Trust’s capital projects manager, Kirstie Webb
The installation included an ‘extremely challenging’ crane lift. The 250-tonne crane lifted ventilation plant and support steelwork for the new theatres nearly 100 metres onto a flat roof, involving 30 individual lifts. As the ‘live’ lift would go over the hospital’s A&E department, it had to be temporarily relocated, roads closed, and traffic rerouted.
Work was phased, with the theatres only shut down for four weeks for the refurbishment to be carried out, remaining in use for the rest of the installation, while the other surrounding theatres remained ‘live’ throughout. Theatre 1 now has an ultraclean ventilation canopy from MAT’s ECO-flow range, which ‘offers exceptional energy efficiency without any reduction in performance’. Both theatres were fitted with ventilation and air-conditioning plant, M&E services, operating lights, IPS/UPS electrical systems, touchscreen surgeons’ panels, PACS systems, and new flooring and decoration.
