Installation of a twin operating theatre into a busy central London hospital courtyard

Finding space for new facilities on crowded hospital estates can be incredibly difficult, with hard to access courtyards sometimes being the only available land. ModuleCo specialise in delivering into complex locations, using off-site construction to utilise underused locations such as courtyards and rooftops.


The installation of the twin operating theatre into Guys and St Thomas Hospital was a near was a real challenge. The hospital itself is located in the heavily congested heart of London directly opposite the houses of Parliament, and the courtyard site was surrounded on all sides by buildings from 7 to 13 storeys high.

With no vehicle access, traditional construction methods requiring lots of heavy vehicles on-site were ruled out. By manufacturing 80% of the twin operating theatre off-site in controlled factory conditions before craning it into place as 6 separate modules ModuleCo were able to bypass these problems, delivering the facility with the minimum possible disruption to the hospital site.

The Modules are protected for transport and delivered by flat bed lorry - 80% of fitout has already been completed in controled factory conditions.

A cranes lifts the modules directly from the lorry to the courtyard site

The operating theatre being craned high over an intervening 7 storey building

The modular operating theatre is lowered into the courtyard

The twin operating theatre is delivered into the restricted courtyard before being installed

The ModuleCo modular operating theatre - Complete

The delivery was meticulously planned by ModuleCo's experienced project team to minimise the time craning was taking place on site, ensuring:

• The smallest possible cost to the client
• The least disruption to staff and patients
  
• The biggest reduction in health and safety risks

With so many tall buildings surrounding the courtyard, ModuleCo had to crane the entire twin orthopaedic theatre over a large intervening 7-storey building.

Thanks to a dedicated, safety conscious delivery team and a well-organised hospital Trust all modules were craned into place quickly and efficiently without compromising on health and safety.

In just 2 days the entire twin orthopaedic operating theatre was craned and installed into the courtyard at Guys and St Thomas Hospital, providing fast-track healthcare facilities at the very heart of the hospital’s campus.

'Excellent' endoscopy unit for Infirmary

Patients and staff will soon be feeling the benefits of a £3.5 million investment in endoscopy services, designed and provided by ModuleCo (formerly PKL Healthcare).

The new modular endoscopy suite replacing the outdated accommodation in the Brotherton Wing of the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) has now officially opened in the Clarendon Wing.

The new unit – a state-of-the-art facilty designed using off-site construction, was lifted into place using a specially commissioned 250 ft crane – will improve the patient experience and provide staff with first class clinical facilities.

It will also provide the flexibility to expand endoscopy services in the future – for example if the Government presses ahead with plans to introduce nationwide colorectal screening.

Consultant Gastroenterologist Dr Simon Everett said: “The new endoscopy unit provides state of the art accommodation and modern healthcare facilities for diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the gastro-intestinal tract.

“There are spacious, comfortable and dignified patient areas as well as purpose built facilities for the hands-on training of future endoscopists. We believe this will significantly enhance the service we can offer patients in Leeds.”

Endoscopy services were previously provided in a three roomed unit in the basement of the Botherton Wing. The facilities were cramped, with little scope to improve decontamination services in line with new regulations. Because of estates constraints, inpatients and outpatients had to share facilities.

The new unit has four spacious rooms and is equipped with the latest in decontamination technology. Dedicated training areas will allow the Trust to build on its excellent reputation for training the endoscopists of tomorrow.

Trust chief executive Neil McKay said: “We have known for some time that we needed to bring endoscopy accommodation into the 21st century.

“I’m delighted that the reconfiguration of acute services across the Trust has given us with the opportunity to provide this excellent new facility. The unit is a tremendous development, both for our patients and the staff who care for them.”

New Emergency Assessment Unit opens its doors

Staff at Addenbrooke's Hospital have been putting the finishing touches to the new Emergency Assessment Unit (EAU), and from this week are welcoming the first patients to the new facilities.

The EAU has come a long way since September last year when the 68 modular units or 'building blocks' provided by ModuleCo that made up the unit were dropped into place. Over the last six months PKL Healthcare's building work has continued inside the unit to make it ready to open its doors to its first patients.

The unit will change the way emergency care is organised in the hospital. It will provide one 'front door' for emergencies instead of the current two - the Accident and Emergency department and the Medical Assessment Unit (MAU), which are situated at opposite ends of the hospital.

Patients will be assessed on arrival in the Emergency Department (ED) adjacent to the EAU by an integrated multi-professional team including doctors, nurses and other staff who will make early decisions about treatment and care. This will enable the team to decide whether patients can be discharged, managed within the EAU or need a specialist opinion or possible admission to the main hospital.

The unit will feature medical and surgical short-stay wards and an adult Clinical Decision Unit and a Children's Observation Unit, improved access to radiology facilities and rapid pathology testing, plus rapid access clinic facilities for emergency patients.

The Clinical Decision Unit, an area for observation or treatment and further clinical decision-making, is already open to patients. Over the next few weeks the other areas of the EAU will become occupied and will be up and running. The official opening will take place in June.

Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust - Birmingham Heartland Hospital, Birmingham

ModuleCo (formerly PKL Healthcare) designed and built the UK’s first modular diagnostic imaging suite. The sophisticated facility for a radiology department was constructed to permanent building standards but with the benefits of off-site construction.

The 20-week Programme procured on a 10-year operating lease, features a two-storey building with a pitched roof and brick slip cladding. It incorporates RF enclosure, magnetic and lead shielding protection, concrete bases to bear the weight of the scanners.

"PKL Healthcare provided an innovative solution to the Trust’s requirements to house two MR scanners and one CT scanner within a very tight timescale. The new building has blended well with it’s surroundings and we look forward to a partnership with PKL to ensure that the high specifications required for state of the art Diagnostic Imaging Facilities are maintained and further developed in the future"
Lowri Morus, Clinical Director