A new innovative temporary medical infrastructure solution which has been designed and engineered to meet healthcare expansion requirements, was recently launched by Humanihut Pty Ltd, a South Australian company.
Originally created to assist with the COVID-19 pandemic, The Florey is also ideally suited for ongoing use in a wide range of future medical and healthcare applications: from a small healthcare centre, to a fully deployed field hospital.
In its basic configuration, The Florey is deployed in two 40ft containers and consists of 16 flat-pack huts. What sets The Florey apart from its competitors is the innovative design and award-winning engineering of the huts, which are robust, rigid, steel-skinned, and feature a unique folding-wall, pop-up design. Each hut measures 6m x 2.3m and is set up as a single-bed patient room with attached ensuite.
The huts then stand between the two containers they were deployed in, and, once emptied, the containers are transformed into a nurses’ station with digital wi-fi connectivity, staff recreational area, kitchenette, bathroom, and laundry facilities.
A weatherproof, fully enclosed corridor made from a soft polymer canvas is then placed in the centre of the facility to connect the containers and patient rooms, and thermally insulated walls throughout the configuration ensure both staff and patient comfort.
Negative pressure air filtration systems throughout the facility, combined with specialist HEPA filters, ensures the containment of airborne contaminants within a room, and significantly reduces the risk of site cross-contamination. Additionally, The Florey is coated with a white, anti-bacterial, high-gloss surface, for easy and hygienic cleaning which complies with strict medical protocols.
Deliverable directly to its required location worldwide by air, sea, or land, The Florey can be established within 24 hours, due to it not being necessary for the system to be placed on a hard standing. All utilities for water, power, and wastewater treatment are deployed with the system, as well as all air conditioning components, medical-grade equipment, and required furniture.
If increased capacity is required, the flexibility and adaptability of The Florey allows it to be completely scalable, and several systems can be joined to form one larger modular facility to meet required demand.
Having a 20-year lifespan and the ability to be redeployed as many times as needed, this robust, rigid, rapidly deployable infrastructure will not only meet client expectations, it will exceed them; both operationally and financially.
With the current global situation severely testing the resilience of medical infrastructure healthcare systems, preparation and strategic forward planning is key to ensuring that agencies around the world are better prepared for future demand.
Neale Sutton, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Humanihut, says that the company has noticed the shift in focus worldwide, and that more appropriate temporary medical infrastructure solutions are being sought.
“In the initial stages of the coronavirus pandemic, governments around the globe were looking for very quick solutions to ease the pressure that was being placed on existing medical infrastructure. That focus is now shifting, and governments and agencies are looking for more suitable temporary infrastructure solutions which can also assist future operations.”
“Clients need systems set up quickly, and they don’t want them to be permanent. But they do want to be able to call on them time and time again to make them a financially viable option. With The Florey, once it has done its job, it can be packed up, placed into storage, and then reused as many times as required over the life of the system”, Neale said.
Being expertly designed, engineered, and manufactured to fulfil healthcare expansion requirements, The Florey is an adaptable, efficient, market-ready alternative to tents, which are the current industry standard for field hospitals and medical treatment facilities.
For more information about this flexible infrastructure solution, please visit Humanihut’s website at www.humanihut.com or email sales@humanihut.com.
