ModuleCo delivers two Acute COVID-19 Isolation Wards during pandemic

Gloucestershire headquartered, ModuleCo, one of the UK’s most successful providers of high-quality, fast-track modular healthcare facilities, has recently designed, built and delivered two new acute Isolation Wards for the NHS to assist with their response to COVID-19 and provide long term, permanent capacity on their sites.

The developments at both the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) provide HBN04-01 compliant, negative pressure, isolation facilities for potentially infectious patients in acute settings.  This capacity supports the needs of the local communities and offers the NHS further regional ‘surge’ centres used to treat the most critically ill patients throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Each 625m² standalone Isolation Ward offers 10 single occupancy, en-suite rooms alongside ancillary support spaces for the clinical and nursing staff.  Designed to meet the specifications for high consequence infectious disease (HCID) units, each patient room is supported by its own independent ventilation plant and safe change HEPA filter extract unit.  The dedicated AHU per room provides a minimum of 10 air changes per hour and is coupled with a negative pressure regime that is protected by a ventilated entrance lobby.  In each lobby the dedicated supply/extract is mechanically interlocked to ensure there is no risk of a positive pressure regime arising should there be an AHU failure.

The design of the patient bedrooms is significantly more complex than the standard configuration seen within NHS ‘Nightingale’ facilities because these wards will be used to treat the most severely ill patients within dedicated isolation rooms and for two of the patient rooms to have increased critical services (IPS and UPS systems) providing ‘intensive care’ capabilities.

Back in March 2020, when ModuleCo was first asked to deliver these Modular Isolation Wards, the Four Nations Public Health HCID Group had made an interim recommendation to classify COVID-19 as an HCID.  As such, each Isolation Ward facility was designed by ModuleCo to meet the requirements for infection prevention and control in relation to HCIDs in parallel with the HBN04-01 requirements.  This means that in addition to treating the most critically ill COVID-19 patients, UHW and NNUH now have the capability, along with only seven other hospital sites in the UK, to treat patients with HCID diseases such as Ebola, SARS, MERS, Hantavirus, Avian Influenza and more.

ModuleCo’s innovative design consists of multiple, repeatable modules so that bed numbers can be flexible to suit client requirements.  As a ‘standalone’ facility the ancillary areas are also provided including: staff rest area; male and female staff changes; dedicated ward pantry; staff WC; clean and dirty utility; nurse base/reception area and electrical plant rooms. For more information about the isolation ward visit: http://www.moduleco.com/isolation_ward

During ‘lockdown’ ModuleCo successfully adapted its offsite manufacturing processes to meet Government Guidance on preventing the spread of COVID-19 and was able to provide the wards ‘patient ready’ in just eight weeks from order – the first facility being handed over to UHW on 12^th May 2020.

With every day critical to meeting the agreed timescales, ModuleCo’s designs had to be ‘right first time’ and this required clear and accurate communication across our respective project teams as well as fast-paced decision making and sign off from the Trusts.  From agreeing the design to the first modules arriving on site was only 41 days and during this time preparatory works had to be completed on site to ensure module installation could proceed seamlessly as planned.  Once on site, the Trusts were only required to provide power, potable water and medical gas services – vastly reducing the impact to the estate and allowing for rapid connections to be made.  A week of final connections and commissioning took place before the facility was offered to the Trusts for occupation during week eight of the programme.

Live project updates from the schemes, and others critical schemes being delivered, can be found on our social platforms, Twitter: @ModuleCoLtd and LinkedIn: @ModuleCo

Everyone connected with ModuleCo takes great pride in what was achieved in an impressively short space of time.  Delivering two separate schemes in different locations quickly, on budget and on programme in the midst of a global pandemic and whilst maintaining the highest H&S standards, is testament to the world-class expertise of our designers, project managers and contractors.

ModuleCo, based in Gloucestershire, is a specialist supplier of high-quality, mission-critical modular healthcare facilities to the NHS and private healthcare providers.  With a Head Office in Cheltenham and factory in Mitcheldean our personnel have unrivalled experience gained from delivering over 135 healthcare buildings including operating theatres, wards, imaging facilities and clinics.

www.moduleco.com

ModuleCo is part of BladeRoom Group, a global leader in the provision of data centre facilities, built off-site and shipped to clients around the world.

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