Modular healthcare facilities: more than just temporary buildings

While modular facilities often provide the answer to a temporary issue that requires a quick resolution, that doesn’t mean the solution has to be short-term.

A modular building can also be used to pilot new surgical delivery methods, new models of care delivery or new technology and equipment without risk to existing routines, and can also enable healthcare providers to deliver community-based diagnostics and care outside of the acute hospital setting. This makes them a potentially core element of the planned Community Diagnostic Hubs.

Pam defnyddio cyfleuster modiwlaidd?

Rheswm cyffredin dros gomisiynu datrysiad dros dro yw capasiti annigonol neu gynnydd mawr yn y galw, oherwydd pwysau tymhorol neu reswm dros dro arall, a all beri risg o beryglu safonau gofal ac anfodlonrwydd cleifion.

Mae’r angen i gynnal safonau uchel o ofal cleifion, cydymffurfiaeth a diogelwch drwy gydol prosiect adnewyddu neu ad-drefnu gwasanaethau, neu yn ystod digwyddiad nas rhagwelwyd fel Covid-19, yn rheswm arall y gallai fod angen seilwaith gofal iechyd ychwanegol.

However, it’s not all about being able to respond to an urgent need or crisis; temporary healthcare facilities are also an essential component of strategic plans. Although the very nature of emergencies means that they are unpredictable, planning for different scenarios using flexible and adaptable solutions is essential.

Ychwanegu gallu

Pryd bynnag y bydd amseroedd aros yn cynyddu oherwydd cwymp dros dro mewn gweithgaredd am unrhyw reswm - fel ataliad diweddar yr holl lawdriniaethau nad ydynt yn rhai brys mewn llawer o wledydd yn dilyn yr achosion o Covid-19 - gall cyfleuster modiwlaidd ychwanegu capasiti ychwanegol y mae mawr ei angen.

Hyd yn oed unwaith y bydd y gwasanaeth yn ailddechrau i lefelau arferol, gall fod yn anodd mynd ar ben rhestrau aros. I ddefnyddio enghraifft o'r pandemig presennol; roedd yr angen i gadw capasiti sylweddol yn ysbytai Awstralia ar gyfer mewnlifiad posibl o gleifion Covid-19 yn golygu bod darparwyr mewn rhai taleithiau wedi'u gorchymyn i gyfyngu ar lawdriniaeth ddewisol ar 50% neu 75% o gapasiti ystafell flaenorol. Gallai cyfleuster gofal iechyd modiwlaidd dros dro ychwanegu digon o gapasiti i ddod â hyn yn ôl i 100%, neu hyd yn oed yn uwch na'r lefel hon.

Temporary and semi-permanent stand-alone ystafelloedd llawdriniaeth can be set up and connected to the main hospital very quickly. Equipped with air conditioning systems that allow variable humidification, modular rooms also incorporate IPS, UPS, integrated water system and medical gas bank, vacuum and scavenging systems, and an environmental control system ensuring temperature, humidity and sanitation are always optimal.

Completely stand-alone, so called ‘cold’ sites for surgery, are also being set up using modular infrastructure during the pandemic. A combination of an operating room and a hospital ward can create a visiting hospital, which provides a complete clinical environment including an anaesthetic room, scrub and recovery areas, clean and dirty utility areas, a reception/nurse station, waiting room, ward and WC.

Tawelu meddwl cleifion

Modular wards are being used during the pandemic not only to supply additional hospital bed spaces, but also to provide additional reassurance for patients. This was the case at Kettering General Hospital in the UK, which commissioned a modular ward at the start of the pandemic to provide a Covid-free zone.

As well as providing the hospital with temporary additional bed capacity for non-Covid patients, the 18-bed modular ward offers reassurance for at-risk patients who may have been worried about attending hospital during the pandemic. The facility will remain on site for an initial period of 6 months, meaning Covid-19 capacity can be retained within the hospital in case of a second wave.

Adeiladwyd y modiwlau oddi ar y safle gan Meddygol Ifanc, Vanguard’s specialist modular subsidiary, and the stand-alone ward facility was completed within a period of just five weeks, despite the restrictions imposed by the lockdown protocol that was in place at the time.

Darparu modelau gofal newydd

Er mwyn darparu gofal iechyd cwbl integredig yn y gymuned, mae angen hyblygrwydd. Gall clinig cleifion allanol modiwlaidd gynnig y cyfle i ofalu am gleifion allanol a’u prosesu yng nghanol eu cymunedau eu hunain, naill ai’n barhaus neu fel rhan o raglen benodol.

O ran darparu gwasanaethau gofal iechyd, un cysyniad sy’n cael ei weithredu’n eang mewn meysydd lle mae adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys o dan bwysau arbennig, yw gwahanu achosion brys oddi wrth gleifion ag anafiadau neu anhwylderau llai difrifol, naill ai dros dro neu’n fwy parhaol. , i wella llif cleifion.

Er mwyn ad-drefnu gwasanaeth yn effeithiol, yn aml mae angen addasu adeiladau a chyfleusterau. Gall sefydlu cyfleuster modiwlaidd dros dro alluogi ysbytai i brofi senarios cyn buddsoddi symiau sylweddol o arian mewn adeilad parhaol newydd neu wedi'i ailfodelu.

Galluogi ymateb cyflym

Gall cyfleusterau gofal iechyd dros dro hefyd alluogi ysbytai i ymateb yn gyflymach i argyfwng neu argyfwng. Un o’r enghreifftiau mwyaf diweddar yw’r mannau asesu â blaenoriaeth neu godau ynysu, a grëwyd gyda’r bwriad o atal cleifion yr amheuir bod ganddynt Covid-19 sy’n cyrraedd yr ysbyty rhag cymysgu â chleifion agored i niwed. Mewn llawer o achosion, roedd angen dybryd ar ysbytai hefyd am le ychwanegol i gartrefu staff a mannau newid.

Gall unedau modiwlaidd fel y rhain aros ymlaen am gyfnod amhenodol, a gellir eu symud, eu hailddefnyddio neu eu rhoi yn ôl pan nad oes eu hangen mwyach. Ond mae cyfleusterau modiwlaidd yn aml wedi'u cynllunio i fod yn eu lle am lawer hirach na hynny.

Sicrhau gofal di-dor

Rheswm llai dramatig ond mwy cyffredin dros ddefnyddio modiwlar yw'r angen i darfu cyn lleied â phosibl ar wasanaethau gofal iechyd yn ystod ad-drefnu adrannau neu raglen adnewyddu. Lle mae prosiect mawr yn digwydd, efallai y bydd angen adeilad lled-barhaol pwrpasol hyd yn oed.

Roedd hyn yn wir am Ysbyty Athrofaol Skåne (SUS) in Malmö, which is currently undergoing a major construction programme that is estimated to take seven to ten years to complete. The hospital is Sweden’s third largest and it represents one of two national centres for cardio-thoracic surgery.

During the build, an urgent need arose for increased capacity for performing high-risk orthopaedic procedures, and the hospital’s management wanted an interim solution that would be quick to implement, while being robust enough to fill the gap until the new building was complete.

Darparodd Young Medical gyfadeilad ystafell lawdriniaeth 324 m2 i'r ysbyty yn unol â gofynion llym, gan gynnwys system aer glân iawn, y goleuadau llawfeddygol diweddaraf a system rheoli adeilad bwrpasol. Roedd y cyfleuster interim i'w integreiddio â'r adran ystafell lawdriniaeth bresennol ar drydydd llawr yr ysbyty i sicrhau estyniad di-dor, rhywbeth a oedd yn cynnwys adeiladwaith dur manwl gywir a oedd wedi'i osod ar yr un uchder yn union â'r cyfleuster presennol.

Cwblhawyd y prosiect cyfan o fewn 10 mis yn unig o’r dechrau i’r diwedd, ac er ei fod wedi’i gomisiynu fel cyfleuster dros dro, mae’r cyfadeilad wedi’i gynllunio i wasanaethu’r ysbyty am gyfnod o hyd at ddeng mlynedd.

Mwy nag adeilad dros dro yn unig

The use of modular construction techniques and volumetric buildings in the healthcare sector is not new; offsite manufacturers have supplied healthcare buildings for many years. However, modular is often seen as just a ‘box’ or ‘shell’; a short-term solution that is necessary but basic, and that may look unsightly.

Over the past decade, the modular concept has moved on and a range of different solutions can be achieved; from a basic container concept to bespoke, sophisticated facilities housing fully equipped operating rooms that can be integrated with the existing hospital’s own infrastructure if required.

Modular solutions don’t have to be temporary; it is possible to have a permanent extension to an existing hospital built entirely using a modular concept, and designed to fit seamlessly with the rest of the building.

Gall defnyddio seilwaith hyblyg gefnogi ysbytai o ran; cynnal rheolaeth ar lwybr y claf, atal amser segur gweithredol, lleihau graddfeydd amser prosiectau adeiladu ac adnewyddu a hwyluso gofal cleifion di-dor. Mae datrysiad modiwlaidd hefyd fel arfer yn llawer cyflymach i'w weithredu, yn gallu arbed costau, ac yn darparu opsiwn mwy cynaliadwy o gymharu ag adeilad gofal iechyd a adeiladwyd yn draddodiadol.