Leighton Hospital in Crewe, alongside two other hospitals, were originally established as an NHS Trust in April 1991. As a collective, they went on to become a Foundation Trust in April 2008.
The hospital employs almost 5,000 members of staff, looking after 540 hospital beds and delivering a wide range of services including accident and emergency, maternity, outpatients, therapies, and children’s health.
Technical Alterations leading to Localised Hygienic cladding Refurbishment
The project comprised work on the existing integrated theatre systems in two separate theatres. These complex systems needed to be upgraded, requiring the highly skilled Karl Storz engineering service teams to make some changes to the operating theatre walls to enable the installation of new equipment.
As with all installations we undertake, a full proposal, Work Method and Risk Assessment was completed as part of the package.
Our client (KARL STORZ Endoscopy (UK) Ltd) were looking for a solution to make good and re-instate the hygienic cladding fabric following their alterations, whilst maintaining high hygiene levels and ensuring the reinstatement was aesthetically appealing.
Problem solved – Hygienic cladding installed
Our team discussed the available options with the client project managers, and it was agreed that extending the existing cladding to the new level would result more unsightly joints. To resolve this issue, our team suggested cladding over the existing finish to achieve a beautiful, sleek and perfectly colour matched look.
Taking this approach gave the team the ability to install the new hygienic cladding with significantly fewer joints. This methodology could be followed because the original hygienic cladding had been installed correctly, using two pack adhesive for maximum adhesion, enabling the finish to be abraded and successfully over-clad. No trims had or were used – all joints were welded or siliconed.
Once this approach was agreed, the hygienic cladding, High Gloss Trovex “Summer”, was chosen to match the previous installation. The internal junction between the dummy and the main wall was completed with colour matched silicone to further enhance the high-quality finish our client wanted to achieve.
The project had a clearly defined time schedule, therefore we staggered our installation programme so we could meet the Client’s milestones. We achieved this by splitting our works into two separate visits on pre agreed dates.
Once the works had been completed and final hand over had taken place, our client kindly sent us their feedback, stating:
“We are very pleased with the work as always. Also considering when we found that our replacement displays were a different size, we were concerned how we would do this and have a nice finish. George was a great help with his suggestions of what would and would work and turned the solution around at pretty short notice. We look forward to working with you again soon.”
We are always delighted to receive such a positive response to our work and looking forward to the next project.
