Modern Methods of Construction have enabled faster and more-efficient completion of a new general surgery operating theatre at Yeovil District Hospital.
The single-storey unit includes a theatre suite with recovery rooms, reception and waiting areas, office space, and a dedicated staff facility. Delivered by MTX Contracts, offsite-fabricated steel sections of the external shell were craned into position on the prepared site of a former car park at the hospital before concrete screed floors and premanufactured walls were installed. Once the structure was complete, the MTX team began installation of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing elements, and fitting out including furniture and specialised equipment.
A plant equipment enclosure located on top of the building accommodates air handling units and electrical supply panels to serve the self-contained 420sw m building. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) are increasingly being chosen by NHS trusts because they meet Government requirements for adopting offsite construction techniques. They also provide additional facilities more quickly, with time on site reduced by up to 50%, reduced costs, and a greener build, with offsite construction reducing waste by up to 60%.
The new theatre will principally be used to help to reduce waiting times for patients needing day surgery procedures including breast surgery, dermatology, plastic surgery, and other general surgery. Caroline Osborne, a consultant breast surgeon at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Yeovil District Hospital, said: “We are so pleased to have opened our new day theatre, which means our team of surgeons can perform many more operations at Yeovil. “With the theatre located away from the main hospital building, it has freed up space in our main hospital theatres for the more-complex procedures, helping us to reduce the waiting times for patients across Somerset who need operations.” She added: “There has been a real change in the way we perform many operations in Somerset, with some specialties able to offer day surgery, where patients can be assessed, treated, and go home on the same day, rather than staying overnight in hospital. “We have had great feedback from patients on this approach.” MTX worked on the project with Simply Serve, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which provides a broad range of services to the hospital and other organisations, including management of capital projects. MTX managing director, David Hartley, said: “Proven expertise in employing MMC enables us to quickly deliver high-quality new hospital facilities cost effectively. “The operating theatres and other facilities we create for NHS trusts are specifically engineered for medical use, with ventilation systems designed to optimise clean air flow and meet modern clinical needs. “And offsite construction takes place while the site is being prepared, enabling the two activities to be carried our concurrently.”
