ELECTRICAL RESILIENCE
More sophisticated diagnostic and treatment equipment often result in increased demand for power in particular areas.
careful planning that underpinned this project. We take pride in this collaborative approach, which consistently delivers valuable benefits to our customers, reaffirming our commitment to service excellence.”
in Scotland, a network of 11 new national treatment centres (NTCs) was identified to fast-track the care and treatment of patients.4
The future of at least six of
these was put in jeopardy due to a lack of funding, and most recently all NHS build projects in Scotland were put on hold. Similar delays have also occurred with plans in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Modernised to meet future demand Our work delivered at Bassetlaw Hospital in Worksop demonstrates how elements of a hospital’s electrical infrastructure can be completely modernised to meet future demand. Much of the hospital complex was constructed in the mid-1970s using RAAC. Despite the absence of an imminent threat to the structures, the Trust decided upon a pre-emptive course of action to eliminate the RAAC materials prior to the emergence of any potential issues, replacing them with a cutting- edge roofing system, but throughout the process wanted to retain full operational capability and electrical supply. Extensive surveys of the existing M&E
services were conducted, in consultation with all the key suppliers, and a plan was developed to enable the Trust to retain access to at least four operating theatres. Part of this devised solution also included the strategic use of modular units, allowing patient treatment to continue, and these were put in place. Playing a pivotal role, Quartzelec ensured the functionality of these temporary units by providing essential utilities, such as water and electrical connections. Attention was then turned to the main building; removing the existing services from the underside of the roof, where the challenge was working in severely space-restricted areas in readiness for the RAAC works. New M&E services, including small power, lighting, fire safety, lightning protection, ventilation, and medical gases, were then installed. Other buildings in proximity also benefited from HVAC, and modifications to the nurse call,
phone, data, and TV systems, along with a significant HV/LV main cable diversion for the newly developing Bassetlaw Emergency Care Village. “Bringing together specialist engineering
service teams meant we could gain many economies of scale and significantly improve our overall facilities moving forward,” said Phil Worsnip, Buildings Project Manager at IHP, the joint venture between VINCI Building and Sir Robert McAlpine. “The entire construction team was intrinsically engaged with clinical teams affected by the renovations, as well as with the Estates, compliance, parking, and fire officers, to keep the impact on both staff and patients to an absolute minimum. Given the scope of the operations, some disruptions were inevitable, yet the concerted efforts of the teams involved to mitigate these disturbances played a crucial role in minimising inconvenience, and in the
n Mobilising for immediate support Quartzelec regularly steps in to address isolated, non-scheduled, but nonetheless critical, issues. When a water leak on the roof of the Doncaster Royal Infirmary’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital Unit flowed down six floors and into the basement, damage was caused, as water compromised electrical systems and control equipment in a service riser. Already on site delivering the third phase of an HV / LV Infrastructure project, Quartzelec was able to instigate temporary supplies, as well as get critical systems functional and safe within hours. Mathew Gleadall, Acting Operational
Director of Estates and Facilities, said: “The damage was extensive throughout affected areas, and we were extremely grateful to the team from Quartzelec, who worked tirelessly alongside our own staff to help get essential clinical services back open.”
Quartzelec was then further able to support this NHS Trust client, helping deliver The Mexborough Elective Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence (MEOC for short), which is part of Montagu Hospital in Mexborough, and a collaboration between Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust. This dedicated £14.9 m specialised orthopaedic hub with 12 inpatient beds delivers additional services for the people of South Yorkshire, operating 50 weeks per year, undertaking two and a half four-hour sessions per day, currently five days a week, rising to six. From an electrical services aspect, modular prefabricated hospital units contained the theatre and recovery rooms, and these were brought onto site pre- configured, incorporating all the necessary electrical infrastructure to deliver the consultation and theatre requirements. The complete revamp also included upgrading the adjacent wards to provide a mix of modern single and four bed units. Andy White, Head of Capital
Lightning strikes pose a major risk to electrical infrastructure integrity.
Infrastructure, said: “Our aim was to create a facility that can undertake over 2,000 orthopaedic procedures annually, equating to about 40% of the current orthopaedic waiting list locally. Going modular was the simplest and most cost-effective solution to provide all the modern facilities we wanted in the shortest timeframe. The core electrical services were cabled to the point of requirement, and then it was simply a plug-and-play process to get everything operational, as all the main cabling work
September 2024 Health Estate Journal 63
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120
