Medical Air Technology (MAT) has recently completed work at BMI Mount Alvernia Hospital in Guildford, Surrey, UK, installing an energy efficient ultraclean ventilation (UCV) canopy from its healthcare award-nominated ECO-flow range. The hospital wanted to increase the number of orthopaedic operations it was able to offer, so decided to upgrade an existing theatre to include a UCV canopy. MAT already has a relationship with BMI Healthcare, having worked at its hospitals in the past, so both MAT and BMI Mount Alvernia Hospital knew they would be partnering with market-leading organisations and could anticipate a highly successful outcome.
The hospital wanted the new theatre to be completed during the relatively quiet Easter period. As the work would include not only installation of a UCV canopy, but also considerable preparatory work to prepare the space, and full refurbishment including a new ceiling and complete redecoration, carefully scheduling to ensure minimum disruption to staff and patients was essential.
The only access to the new theatre was through the clean corridor – the hospital anticipated this could be an issue, as noise and dust are an inevitable byproduct of major building works. However, thanks to close liaison between the teams from MAT and the hospital, and a high level of professionalism and commitment to client needs throughout, the anticipated issue failed to cause problems, and the project was handed over on time and within budget.
'From a hospital perspective, MAT were an absolute pleasure to work with and we hardly knew they were in the building. It is fair to say that when you are faced with the prospect of losing one of your main theatres for a few weeks but still have to continue operating in the other two, it causes a fair amount of stress. However, we should not have worried - MAT were a delight to work with from their meticulous planning right through to the actual work and final completion. The team at BMI Mount Alvernia cannot praise them enough,' said Nick Fox, Executive Director, BMI Mount Alvernia Hospital.
The new UCV canopy at the heart of BMI Mount Alvernia Hospital’s new theatre, the ECO-flow 2800, is designed to significantly reduce energy usage and cost, without any reduction in the level of efficacy. Energy efficiency is achieved through innovative internal design and the introduction of infinitely variable-speed DC motors, while highly efficient centrifugal fans reduce the energy drain required for cooling.
LED cruciform lighting has also been added to the ECO-flow canopies, which use up to 60% less power than other similar canopies, even in full ultraclean mode.
MAT developed the ECO-flow range to support hospitals as they work to improve efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint, and continues to invest in new technology and the development of skills and expertise to ensure this initiative develops even further.
