Modular healthcare facilities provide a way to maintain service provision during capital works. Andrew Woodrow of Pure Projects outlines 5 key considerations for hospital decision-makers considering modular healthcare facilities.

Full compliance with AS/NZ 4187 (the sterilisation standard for reprocessing reusable devices) must be achieved. In practice, that involves minor to major construction to install a new water treatment plant and pipework to achieve microbial control and to separate clean and dirty activities.

A successful sustainability officer needs a strong set of skills to improve your hospital’s sustainability performance without negatively affecting other aspects of its performance. They’re agents of change and, among many other responsibilities, they also advise on the environmental aspects of capital works.

Demands and services are guaranteed to change over the life of a healthcare facility. We can anticipate some of these changes but others may take us by surprise. That means we need to ensure that new and refurbished healthcare facilities are future-proof, flexible and adaptable.

A hospital refurbishment serves many purposes such as increasing capacity or refreshing outdated facilities. It’s also an ideal opportunity to improve sustainability, both in the construction phase and in ongoing use.

In recent years, many Australian hospitals have proved vulnerable to extreme weather events, which have caused illness or injury, damaged infrastructure, cut off access to healthcare or disrupted critical supply chains.

Managing the health risks of climate change can no longer be deferred. Fiona Armstrong, CEO of the Climate and Health Alliance, urges hospital boards to provide leadership to reduce their organisation’s carbon footprint and to increase its resilience in the face of climate change.

Read more in the latest edition of Healthcare Spaces.