As the number of people waiting longer than two years for routine operations in England falls to fewer than 200 people, there is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel for NHS capacity issues and waiting list times.
While this is an important milestone in the history of the pandemic, it’s essential the NHS remains prepared for the seasonal surges just around the corner.
As winter brings the inevitable pressures to the NHS, decision makers must consider new and innovative solutions to maintain this progress towards eradicating the backlog.
In preparation for the next wave of seasonal demands, ModuleCo Healthcare Limited recently decided to invest in the pre-construction of a number of our high specification operating theatres, which can be made patient-ready in just 35 days.
The availability of these operating theatres, which are accessible via flexible Hire or Managed Service Agreements, offer NHS Trusts a timely and cost-effective route to accessing much-needed extra capacity within a matter of weeks.
Here, we provide further details and discuss how the use of this type of construction methodology could benefit the NHS in the current climate:
Modern Methods of Construction
A time and cost-efficient solution is needed to improve the prospects of the millions of patients awaiting care in the UK, and modern methods of construction (MMC) could offer a solution.
MMC has revolutionised the construction industry, providing a more innovative, cost and time-effective way of building housing, office spaces and healthcare facilities across the globe without compromising on build quality.
Offsite Construction
Offsite construction is one form of MMC and is being utilised more and more within the healthcare sector, giving NHS Trusts quicker access to much-needed capacity.
At MCH, we are experienced in providing industry-leading healthcare facilities, having supplied over 130 facilities, including a large number of operating theatres. These facilities provide a cost-effective alternative to traditional builds, as they can be procured through flexible hire or managed service agreements – amalgamating the costs for the whole project into single monthly charges spread across fixed terms.
Alongside the financial benefits produced by our flexible finance packages, the facilities can also be constructed and installed much quicker than a traditional build, providing additional NHS capacity in a matter of weeks.
In addition, our “True Offsite” construction method means busy NHS Trusts can take advantage of additional capacity with little impact or disruption to the day-to-day running of the hospital. Up to 90% of the work is completed off-site, including the design, development, and construction, before modules are delivered and installed in a matter of weeks.
At a time when finding a quick solution to mounting capacity-related pressures is high on the agenda, Modern Methods of Construction propose an effective option for helping busy NHS Trusts to tackle the growing backlog of surgical care, quickly and with minimal disruption.
Ready to deploy stock theatres
To help ease the significant elective surgery backlog, MCH has now invested in a number of these operating theatres which can be made patient-ready in as little as 35 days.
Our Operating Theatre Suites are HTM and HBN compliant, with no compromises made on quality. The suites are 144m2 squared in total, with a 55m2 operating space.
Whatever your requirements, they contain all the key areas needed for a safe major surgery, including:
- Operating room, with integrated scrub
- Sterile pack store
- Anaesthetic room
- Dirty utility
- IPS/UPS
- Link corridor
- Recovery option
Available to procure via the NHS Shared Business Services Framework (SBS) or Crown Commercial Modular Buildings Framework (CCS), our immediately available theatres can be purchased through bespoke hire agreements, with terms ranging from 12 months to 15 years. Each finance package is tailored to meet the Trust’s individual needs, with careful consideration of specific budget availability.
The result is that NHS Trusts can begin benefiting from their new, state-of-the-art theatres straightaway, and continue tackling the waiting lists, without the requirement for large sums of upfront capital to pay for the project.
Download the PDF case study to find out more about our immediately available theatres.
