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HEALTH SECTOR NEWS ‘Signature’ cancer centre opened in Sutton
HRH Prince William, The Prince of Wales, has formally opened the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust’s new Oak Cancer Centre in Sutton, Surrey. Funded by The Royal Marsden Cancer
Charity, the research and treatment facility will help accelerate the development of new cancer treatments. Named after the Oak Foundation, which donated £25 m to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity’s £70 m Oak Cancer Centre Appeal, the Centre has been designed as ‘a signature building’ at the world-renowned hospital and research hub in Sutton. Sited adjacent to The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), it is an ‘integral component’ of the new London Cancer Hub – an emerging ‘knowledge cluster’ which the Royal Marsden says will become a global leader for cancer research, treatment, and innovation. ‘Carefully considered’ clinical design by BDP has – the practice says – created ‘a blend of world-leading cancer research spaces’, bringing together researchers in the Kuok Research Centre, and outpatient activity – including 63 chemotherapy chairs in the Olayan Day Care Unit and the new Charles Wolfson Rapid Diagnostic Centre. BDP said: “Providing areas where
staff and patients can interact with nature’s healing qualities is central to the design – creating a contemporary environment, and a peaceful atmosphere, with easy access to natural daylight, views, and fresh air.” The architects continued: “Over six floors, the architecture has integrated multiple, easily accessible external terraces with a striking pergola on the top floor. Each terrace provides crucial breathing space for respite for staff and patients. All 63 chemotherapy bays are oriented towards a newly landscaped garden, providing views of green space.
Fast-track build for Yeovil hospital’s new general surgery theatre
MTX says Modern Methods of Construction have enabled it to achieve faster, more efficient completion of a new general surgery operating theatre at Yeovil District Hospital.
The single-storey unit includes the theatre suite with recovery rooms, a reception and waiting areas, offices, and a staff facility. Offsite-fabricated steel sections of the external shell were craned into position on the prepared site of a former car park before the installation of concrete screed floors and pre- manufactured walls. Once the structure was complete, MTX began installing MEP elements, and fitting out work – including installing furniture and specialised equipment. A plant equipment enclosure
on top of the building houses air-handling units and electrical supply panels to serve the self-contained 420 m2
building. The
new theatre will principally help reduce waiting times for patients needing day surgery procedures – including breast surgery, dermatology, plastic surgery, and other general surgery.
Caroline Osborne, a consultant breast surgeon at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The theatre’s opening means our surgeons can perform many more operations at Yeovil. Its location away from the main hospital building has freed up space in our main theatres for more complex procedures, helping us reduce waiting times. There has been a real change in the way we perform many operations, with some specialties able to offer day surgery where patients can be assessed, treated, and sent home, on the same day as their surgery.”
The former car park includes an access route used by ambulances, so specific measures were implemented to manage site movements. For example, the crane lift onto the foundations was timed to minimise impacting other vehicle movements.
The westerly aspect, full-height glazing, and external vertical shading fins, deliver a filtered, dappled sunlight effect to further enhance feelings of tranquillity.” ‘Using the very latest technology’, the
new Charles Wolfson Rapid Diagnostic Centre and the Kuok Research Centre will ‘provide spaces for world-class scientific research and development’. They bring together at the building’s heart over 400 scientists and researchers into a space designed specifically to encourage collaboration. BDP’s Architect director, Dominic Hook, said: “Cancer centres are where some of life’s most stressful moments happen, so throughout the design process we wanted to ensure patients would receive treatment in the best possible environments. Every part of the architecture here is considered, so that anxious patients are not further stressed by being disorientated or struggling to find their way around. They will be able to enjoy great views, peace, and quiet, while receiving chemotherapy. A legible and accessible design means those attending the outpatient department will be able to undergo blood tests, see their consultant, and collect a prescription, all on the same floor.”
Erratum
The article written by Steven Van De Peer, titled ‘Tackling hospital drainage systems to minimise risk’, that featured on pages 47-50 of the June 2023 HEJ, wrongly carried the IHEEM AE (Water) logo in the biography ‘text box’ on page 50. HEJ would like to make clear that Stephen Van De Peer is not an IHEEM-registered AE (Water), and the logo should thus not have appeared; this was a ‘publishing error’. The author contacted the magazine’s Editor to point out the incorrect use of the IHEEM AE ‘branding’ as soon as he received his printed copy of the June HEJ.
August 2023 Health Estate Journal 13
BDP / Nick Caville
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