MTX uses modern methods of construction for fast track build of new operating theatre at Yeovil District Hospital

Modern Methods of Construction are being employed by MTX to achieve faster and more efficient completion of a new general surgery operating theatre at Yeovil District Hospital.

The external shell of the building was installed by MTX at the end of September in a prepared site on a car park at the hospital, with fitting out of FFE (furniture, fittings and equipment) and MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) elements of the operating theatre project now under way. 

The new single storey unit includes a theatre suite with recovery rooms, reception and waiting areas, office space and a dedicated staff facility.  A plant equipment enclosure located on top will contain air handling units and electrical supply panels to serve the self-contained 420m² building. 

MTX is working on the project with Simply Serve Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yeovil Hospital which provides a broad range of services to the hospital and other organisations, including management of capital projects.

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) are increasingly chosen by NHS Trusts to provide additional facilities in shorter time scales, with the proven advantages of more rapid completion, cost-saving and a greener build with less waste and a reduced carbon footprint.

Chief Operating Officer at Yeovil Hospital and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Matthew Bryant said: “The theatre currently being built on the site at Yeovil Hospital using Modern Methods of Construction will be fundamental in reducing the wait time for patients needing procedures in five specialties – breast, general surgery, dermatology, ENT & trauma, and orthopaedics - and who can go home the same day. The pace at which MMC builds go up enables us to make significant strides in increasing the hospital’s footprint to meet the ever-growing needs of the communities we care for.”

MTX Managing Director David Hartley explains: “Proven expertise in employing MMC enables us to quickly deliver high quality new hospital facilities cost effectively. The operating theatres and other facilities we create for NHS Trusts are specifically engineered for medical use with ventilation systems designed to optimise clean air flow and meet clinical needs.  In the case of Yeovil District Hospital, supporting plant and electrical equipment are self-contained within the build.”  

MTX has extensive experience of working in busy locations within hospital sites, and its staff are skilled in optimising progress while minimising impact on existing clinical services and patients.  The car park at Yeovil District Hospital includes an access route used by ambulances, so specific measures have been put in place to manage site movements.  

Delivery of the external building shell and the crane lift onto the foundations previously prepared by MTX was timed to minimise impacting other vehicle movements on the site, including ambulances. 

Yeovil Hospital and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is responsible for around 2,200 staff, working to care for people, primarily in south Somerset, North and West Dorset and parts of Mendip.  Yeovil District Hospital has 345 beds and provides a full range of clinical services, including general medicine, cardiology, general surgery, orthopaedic surgery, trauma, a maternity unit and paediatrics.

CAPTION: Architect’s visualisation of the new general surgery operating theatre at Yeovil District Hospital