Published date: 08 March 2021
Crawley Hospital surgery theatres receive £2.6 million upgrade
14,000m2 complex of 4 surgery theatres refurbished at Crawley Hospital, making the space safer for patients and NHS staff.
Four surgery theatres in the Crawley Hospital’s Red Wing have been refurbished, modernising the space to enhance the patient experience and to improve the working environment for the hospital’s staff. The Surrey and Sussex Healthcare Trust (SaSH) benefitted from £2.6 million investment by NHS Property Services (NHSPS).
The theatres have been fitted with Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), also known as back-up systems to ensure that surgery can continue in the event of a power outage. They have also been made fully fire compliant with fire zoning, ensuring better fire resilience. Fire and smoke safety systems were also upgraded to provide additional monitoring and physical compartment separation in the event of a fire.
In addition, new LED and power saving light fittings were installed, replacing the background lighting; technology that is over 20 years old. New medical gas and duplex pumps were also installed, reducing operating costs for the NHS as a result of the energy saved by upgrading the technology used in the space.
NHSPS worked with West Sussex Estates partnership and Morgan Sindall Construction to enhance the space and deliver the works to a high standard in a short timeframe to mitigate the impact on patient care in the complex.
The teams overcame the challenges brought about by undertaking the project during the pandemic, with design and construction running parallel as all parties worked tirelessly with SaSH to complete the upgrade.
Ian Booth, Principal Operations Change Manager at NHSPS said: “It’s truly inspirational how dedicated the construction team and clinical staff on the ground were, working as one team to make sure the project was delivered quickly and to a high standard. It took 16,000 man-hours in 4 months, which equates to eight years of work for one person!”
Michael Wilson CBE, Chief Executive, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said: “We’re thrilled with the outcome of the project and know that our upgraded theatres will help to improve the patient experience and the work environment of our staff. It’s fantastic that we can optimise our facilities for our patients and staff while simultaneously creating cost savings which can be invested back into the NHS. We look forward to working together on the next set of improvements for Crawley Hospital.”
