ModuleCo provided a state-of-the-art Twin Gynaecological Operating Theatre Suite for the North Bristol NHS Trust, providing expanded Women’s and Children’s services at Southmead Hospital.
The new “Cotswold Theatres” are an integral part of the Southmead Maternity Services Department. The theatres will host 12 operations a day, with a dedicated team of healthcare professionals working together to ensure the highest quality of care to all patients needing surgery.
They will be used by a range of specialities including gynaecology, breast, urology, and colorectal surgery.
Built alongside the Hospital’s Women and Children’s building, the operating theatres will provide vital additional capacity, made more critical with the plan to refurbish and upgrade the existing operating theatres.
Sustainability was an important factor for the Trust team; the theatre suite is provided with a rooftop solar array and increased efficiency heat recovery in the AHUs as well as being future proofed for changes to the Hospital heating infrastructure.
A detailed design was developed by ModuleCo’s experienced in-house design team, consisting of thirteen modules which make up a 8,211ft2 total footprint. The facility consists of two operating theatres with specialist equipment for gynaecological procedures, supported by integral scrubs, lay-up preparation rooms, anaesthetic rooms, dirty utilities, a 5-bed first stage recovery, offices, and various supporting and staff rest areas.
The theatres were officially opened on 13th August, benefiting patients and staff alike with the latest technology and specialist equipment for surgical procedures.
Chief Executive, Maria Kane, who cut the ribbon to officially open the new theatres, remarked: “It was a pleasure to open our new ‘Cotswold Theatres’ and celebrate the hard work our teams have put in to make it possible, especially considering the other pressures the hospital has been under over recent months.
“These theatres will provide vital care and support in helping us deliver the best care possible for patients. They will also enable us to retain our operating capacity as important upgrading work is taking place elsewhere.
“I would like to thank all of our colleagues and contractors, who have worked incredibly hard throughout the design, construction, and preparation process to ensure the swift delivery of these high-tech theatres.”
Juliette Hughes, Divisional Director of Nursing for Women and Children’s Health at North Bristol NHS Trust, said: “We are incredibly pleased with how closely we have been able to work with ModuleCo on this project, allowing us to design the facilities exactly as we need them. This lets us provide the best possible care to women needing routine or emergency gynaecology treatment at Southmead Hospital.
“These state-of-the-art new facilities have also allowed us to upgrade all of our theatres across Women and Children’s Health in line with other theatres in the hospital.”
Andrew Jeanes, Director of Operational Estates and Facilities, said: “We started this journey in September 2020, so to see the theatres open in less than a year is an incredible achievement for all involved.
“The new theatres have been designed with patients in mind, utilising every inch available. Having used modular theatres, we were able to minimise disruption on-site and ensured the spaces we created would help our clinical teams achieve exceptional clinical outcomes. We are also proud to say that twenty percent of the building’s power will be generated by solar panels, helping us reach the Trust’s goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2030.”
