MTX wins prestigious contract at Wrightington Hospital – A Centre of Orthopaedic Excellence.
In December 2012 healthcare construction specialists MTX, located in Stockport, were awarded a prestigious £1.6 million contract to supply and install two permanent modular operating theatre suites for the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust.
The two permanent, fully HTM and HBN compliant modular operating theatre suites will be installed at Wrightington Hospital, recognised globally as one of the world’s leading hospitals in Orthopaedic Surgery. Both theatre suites, one complete with a 3 bed recovery ward, will be constructed using the latest fast track construction methods to ensure a speedy delivery.
David Hartley, MTX Commercial Director commented on winning the contract “As specialists in healthcare construction, and specifically clean air environments, we’ve been developing and working with clean air technology and operating theatre design for over 30 years”.
“We’ve built operating theatre suites for Trusts up and down the country using both traditional and fast track construction methods but, having always marveled at the pioneering breakthroughs that took place at Wrightington Hospital during the 1960’s, it’s a huge honour for us to win such a prestigious contract and to build two brand new operating theatres at the hospital where it all began”.
Celebrating 50 years of total hip replacements
Wrightington Hospital’s status as a Centre of Excellence in orthopaedics has its origins in the seminal work of Professor Sir John Charnley who pioneered hip replacement surgery and carried out the very first hip-replacement operations at Wrightington in the early 1960s.
Not only did Sir John Charnley pioneer total hip arthroplasty but, as master surgeon and innovator, he recognised the necessity of providing a ‘clean zone’ around the surgical area in order to avoid infections from airborne contamination and thus designed and developed the very first ultra clean zone.
50 years later and Total Hip Replacement surgery is now recognised as the most common procedure carried out today, with every orthopaedic operation being performed within an ultra clean zone, based on Sir John Charley’s original design.
Fast track theatres on target for June 2013 completion
The new MTX modular operating theatre suites are currently being pre-fabricated in a factory controlled environment and will be delivered to site as individual building modules at the beginning of March.
Modular construction methods are fast becoming a more popular choice for hospital Trusts when faced with having to provide additional accommodation quickly to meet growing patient demand. David Hartley explains, “By using modular construction methods, new hospital accommodation can be supplied up to 50% quicker than using a more traditional building method as well as having additional benefits in relation to health and safety, sustainability and minimising disruption”
During the second week in January MTX started groundworks to prepare the site ready for the two modular operating theatre suites to be installed. The suites will be situated in two separate locations each within close proximity to the existing theatre departments, and will be attached to the main theatre corridors via a link way. The suites will comprise of an ultra clean operating theatre suitable for Orthopaedic procedures, anaesthetic room, scrub area, preparation area, dirty utility, staff rest area, changing rooms and dictation office. In addition one of the suites will also contain a 3-bed recovery ward.
With the groundworks well underway, MTX expects to complete the scheme on budget and on schedule by June 2013.