Portakabin has completed a specialist decontamination suite for an established endoscopy suite at King George Hospital, Goodmayes, in the process ‘considerably upgrading and improving endoscopy patient care’ for Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Built offsite, the building is seamlessly linked to the existing endoscopy facility on the Trust’s estate, which was handed over last December. The Trust required the building to be seamlessly integrated into its existing estate footprint, linking directly with the Juniper Endoscopy Unit (JEU) which houses two procedure rooms and one recovery area. Decontamination facilities were in need of major improvement, and with space at a premium, Portakabin says one of its modular buildings would allow a new facility to be made available almost 70 per cent faster than a traditionally built solution.
From technical design stage through to a full-service building design, the Portakabin team managed every stage with the support of its in-house team and a few select partners. The building footprint was designed in conjunction with a fire tender track – open ‘24/7’ to allow emergency services to move unhindered throughout the hospital estate, and re-routed and re-built around the new facility. The Portakabin team also designed a dedicated seating area for staff into the raised area which links the new and existing building to make best use of available space, finished with a bespoke canopy.
James Pearson, Divisional MD for Portakabin, said: “This decontamination building is the perfect example of the flexibility you can get from a modular building. Constructing offsite means we can focus on challenging and complicated groundworks at the same time as fitting out most of mechanical and electrical services into the modules before they arrive. Working with specialist suppliers for the testing and commissioning of the state-of-the-art equipment has allowed us to deliver a building which will make a real difference to patient experience for the Trust.”
Vikki Butler, director of Clinical Services Reconfiguration at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, added: “The bespoke facility provides a light, bright space for staff to carry out this vitally important decontamination procedure. The design blends elegantly into the overall site architecture, with the bonus of some outdoor seating areas for staff to enjoy. Modular construction allowed for a rapid on-site build. We are very pleased with the final result.”
