Medical Air Technology (MAT) recently completed work at Torbay Hospital, installing two new ECO-flow ultraclean ventilation (UCV) canopies as part of a major refurbishment project. MAT was brought in after the hospital closed two of its operating theatres following concerns about the resilience of the air handling units. The Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust acted quickly to address the situation, bringing forward plans to replace the ageing theatres and putting in place a range of other strategies to increase capacity in the remaining theatres, ensuring disruption to patients and staff was kept to an absolute minimum.
Of the two closed theatres, one was conventional and the other included a UCV canopy. Following the refurbishment, both theatres now have an MAT ECO-flow 2800 UCV system, increasing the hospital's orthopaedic capacity. An interesting element of the overall design was the trust’s decision to use compact air handling units (AHUs) due to limited plant space. Each of the compact AHUs feeds into a common duct header, servicing both theatres. Motorised dampers and pressure sensors ensure the ventilation to each theatre can be controlled independently.
With its own in-house UK manufacturing facility and dedicated team of highly skilled engineers, MAT manufactures and supplies bespoke equipment for demanding clinical and life science arenas
MAT and its sister company, MAT FM, have both previously carried out work at Torbay Hospital, so the installation team was familiar with the site and estates department, streamlining planning and processes. The trust had also appointed seveeral other contractors to work on the refurbishment, so activity had to be scheduled to allow all those involved to work on their specific areas. MAT is used to working flexibly to accommodate client needs and was able to meet this potentially challenging requirement with ease.
MAT offers a wide range of services so is able to respond flexibly and quickly to the specific needs of each client, providing all the benefits that come from working with a specialist contractor. With its own in-house UK manufacturing facility and dedicated team of highly skilled engineers, MAT manufactures and supplies bespoke equipment for demanding clinical and life science arenas. Clients can choose from several options, ranging from UCV canopy only right through to a total turnkey package, ensuring they get exactly the solution they need. In addition, MAT FM can provide a range of competitively priced and highly effective service and maintenance packages for all core products and turnkey solutions offered by MAT or other suppliers, ensuring that equipment is maintained, serviced and validated correctly for optimum performance.
