Modular interventional radiology theatre provided to Royal Preston Hospital

Vanguard Healthcare Solutions is supporting Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to deliver essential interventional radiology procedures during a period of refurbishment.

While the Trust’s own interventional radiology theatre at Royal Preston Hospital undergoes an upgrade in a six-month project, Vanguard Healthcare Solutions is providing a replacement theatre for these important procedures to continue to be carried out while the hospital’s Room 9 is out of commission.

Vanguard has created a bespoke modular solution at the hospital which features a truly state-of-the-art theatre with the latest in Philips interventional radiology equipment installed. It will operate seven-days-a-week and will be available 24-hours-a-day, including for emergency procedures. It welcomed its first patients this week and procedures performed included angioplasties and fistulas.

The elements of the modular build were created off-site by Young Medical, the modular subsidiary of Vanguard, before being craned into position. The build and all enabling works were carried out by Vanguard, including the creation of a corridor linking the theatre to the hospital’s Ward 2A and the creation of medical gas plant systems. This has created 80m2 of clinical space and 18m2 of plant room space. From delivery to fit-out and commissioning took nine weeks.

The Vanguard project team worked in close collaboration with the Trust on all aspects of the commissioning, deployment and delivery. This approach minimised risk as well as any ‘drift’ in the project timeline, something that was crucial to ensuring the facility was delivered on time and within budget.

The completed module includes a bed bay, plant room and standard theatre which has been created to comfortably house all the necessary equipment that a specialist theatre like this will need, the HVAC system provides 27 fresh air changes per hour.

Interventional radiology is a medical specialisation that involves performing a range of imaging procedures to obtain images of the inside of the body. The Trust’s own interventional radiologists will use the theatre equipment to carefully interpret images to diagnose injury and disease, and to perform a range of interventional medical procedures.

Vanguard is already working alongside the hospital to deliver a bespoke ophthalmology hub in a two-year project to tackle waiting times for cataract and other ophthalmic procedures. The interventional radiology theatre is due to be on site for six months.

Vanguard National Sales Manager Simon Squirrell said: “We are delighted to be working with Royal Preston Hospital on a second project as we continue to work closely with them providing a two-theatre ophthalmology hub.

“This is the first time our modular units have been used to create hybrid theatre of this kind and has been designed to the exact specifications of the Trust. It has already seen highly successful, and intricate, surgeries carried out and the Trust’s clinical team are enjoying working in the theatre.”