A new £1.7m ward building is set to open at North Middlesex University Hospital, increasing capacity and enabling staff to restart elective care services following the COVID-19 outbreak.

As part of the hospital’s centenary celebrations, and as a tribute to the NHS fundraising stalwart; the Captain Sir Tom Moore Centenary Ward is designed to maximise clinical space in line with the latest COVID-19 infection control requirements. 

It accommodates 20 beds for patients recovering from surgery and has been configured as six three-bed wards and one two-bed ward.

The facility will help to meet the increasing demand for hospital services as a result of COVID-19 combined with the peak-winter period.

Procured through NHS Shared Business Services, Premier Modular was appointed to design, manufacture, and install a bespoke ward building which will remain in use for around 18 months.

Design guidance

And, importantly, the building had to be designed in compliance with rapidly-evolving guidance for infection control in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The revised design requirements included maintaining a space of 2m around each patient bed, increasing access to handwashing, and managing control routes around the building to facilitate social distancing, and to accommodate increased use of PPE. 

The complex scheme also had to be delivered during a lockdown and in a timescale of just 16 weeks from order to handover. 

Working seven days a week, Premier was able to reduce time on site from around 10 weeks to just six weeks.

Commenting on the project, Chris Kelly, estates development manager at North Middlesex University Hospital, said: “There was incredible pressure to deliver this building to such a short programme. 

A short timescale

“Premier grasped our mindset as healthcare providers and the real-world impact this building would have on our patients waiting for treatment. 

“Design choices had to be made in the context of budget, programme, and the incredibly-fast changing healthcare environment. 

“This demanded an exceptional understanding of the issues and the technicalities of compliance to rapidly-developing COVID guidelines for infection control.”

The self-contained facility was fitted out with medical gases, electrics, IT infrastructure, CCTV, fire alarms, nurse call systems, door access controls, heating, hot water supplies, and advanced air handling and extraction. 

Three nurse stations are located in the central corridor and the building is linked to the main hospital to maintain efficient patient flows.

Fully fitted

Other facilities include assisted bathrooms for each ward, a pantry for the preparation and serving of up to four meals per patient per day, dirty and clean utilities, a staff rest room and changing facilities, reception, and cleaner’s room.

A Premier spokesman said: “The hiring of modular accommodation is a fast and flexible way for healthcare providers to expand capacity or relocate services, particularly on constrained hospital sites. 

“The approach also gives NHS trusts greater flexibility as the facilities can be dismantled and removed if local needs change.

“Buildings to accommodate wards and ancillary services can be delivered in a fraction of the time of a site-based construction solution. 

“Critically, purpose-designed facilities can be installed on hospital sites with far less disruption to patient care.”