A new healthcare facility that is being installed at a hospital in Queensland to provide additional capacity for diagnostic procedures was created and made ready to ship within weeks of the order. The project is the result of an international effort to get a bespoke solution for endoscopy up and running within a very short timescale.
Far from a standard building project, the new complex will be arriving at the hospital site in separate parts that will be connected together to form a complete solution, including endoscopy procedure rooms, an endoscopy decontamination unit (EDU) and a recovery ward.
Built bespoke to requirements
A global company, Q-bital Healthcare Solutions, which supplied the healthcare buildings used to create the complex, has an existing fleet of mobile healthcare facilities, including a range of operating theatres, as well as bespoke modular build capability.
The hospital needed two endoscopy rooms with high airflow, so a dual procedure endoscopy module was created from a mobile laminar flow theatre that was shipped from the UK. The theatre was modified to accommodate two fully equipped endoscopy procedure rooms, as well as scrub and utility areas.
A mobile 8-bed recovery ward, which has been modified to contain a consulting room, also forms part of the complex; as does a smaller module providing additional disabled showering and toilet facilities, sourced in Australia.
The dedicated, self-contained endoscopy decontamination module was designed and built specifically for the project, and to the hospital’s exact requirements, by global modular supplier Young Medical, based in the Netherlands.
The EDU was designed to comply with Australian standards from the outset, and in addition to separate clean and dirty areas, the module comes pre-wired and with all required connections for water, power and IT. It is also fitted with electric sliding doors, air conditioning and a fire detection system, as well as an on-board Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant, and includes staff amenities.
Once brought to site, these parts will be connected together to form a complete endoscopy solution, which will be used as an extension of the hospital’s internal endoscopy department.
An international effort
As well as utilising its own international network’s engineering teams, Q-bital’s team in Australia worked closely with a range of partners, including healthcare architects and project managers, to design and deliver the innovative endoscopy solution.
The mobile procedure unit and the ward were shipped over from the UK and modified in Australia, while the modular decontamination module was built from scratch in the Netherlands to the hospital’s specifications.
Getting the units shipped across on such a tight schedule was a complex logistical operation, particularly as Covid-19 restrictions were in place limiting international travel, but the units were delivered within a very short timescale. Having been ordered in August, the mobile procedure room and the ward, which were shipped from the UK, arrived in Australia in mid-October having spent 56 days on the ship.
The EDU was built to order and completed in less than 4 weeks before being shipped from the Netherlands, arriving in mid-November. This will now be fitted out with the latest sterilisation equipment compliant with the new Australian standard.
Q-bital will oversee the delivery, installation, commissioning and testing of the units, and provide maintenance and support for the facility, which is expected to open to patients early next year.
A rapid response
For the hospital, the use of flexible healthcare means a shorter lead time – despite the units being shipped from overseas – and less disruption for patients and staff, as the buildings are constructed off site and fitted with all the necessary connections before being brought to the hospital site to be installed.
“Q-bital helps design and deliver flexible health facilities that allow hospitals anywhere in the world to respond quickly to changes to both capacity and functionality, while maintaining a near-permanent standard” says Peter Spryszynski, Country Manager for Australia at Q-bital Healthcare Solutions.
“The endoscopy decontamination unit took less than four weeks to build, and our mobile solutions for endoscopy were ready to ship within weeks of receiving the order.
“Modular solutions, such as this latest one, can be tailored to each client’s needs, and offer almost endless possibilities in terms of design and layout. Modules can be designed to fit seamlessly with other hospital buildings, components can be added or removed and operating theatres can be enlarged or modified.”
A mobile or modular health facility can be used both for short- and long-term contracts, and can be modified and upgraded as requirements change, and that includes the equipment inside.
They are customised for each contract, ensuring it fits the requirements of the hospital that is using it, and once the contract is finished, the facilities can be relocated or returned to the provider to be used on the next project. As these modules are now in Australia, they can be deployed even more rapidly for the next project.
To enquire about a bespoke solution, please contact Q-bital on info@q-bital.com. More information about prefabricated modular units is available on Young Medical’s website.
