The Importance of Flexibility in Healthcare Facility Design
“It’s virtually impossible for a design that is one snapshot in time to support an ever-changing environment like healthcare”.
This quote from Lisa Regan, then Director of Performance and Transformation for Bluewater Health in Canada, is nearly 10 years old. But it still captures just how much the healthcare industry is in a constant state of flux.
Sometimes changes come in the form of new advancements in technology, and sometimes regulations can play a part. Regardless of these changes, healthcare providers must be able to quickly adapt in order to meet the needs of patients and staff.
Functional and spatial flexibility
Healthcare facilities often need to modify their layouts and operations to meet changing medical needs, which means having the flexibility to adapt the function of their wards and adapt the useable space within them.
Applying functional flexibility is particularly relevant for operating theatres, as these spaces are used for an array of different procedures that require specialist equipment and surgeon teams of different sizes to be used.
Through modular construction, healthcare facilities can adapt their facilities more effectively to accommodate patient flows and improve efficiency. In turn, this reduces wait times, increases patient safety, and improves staff satisfaction by streamlining working practices. MIG uses advanced engineering and modular building strategies to design and construct facilities that are not only functional, but also spatially flexible.
The Jubilee Ward in Devon is an excellent example of this. Our team worked with the architect who designed the ward and consulted on where services should be placed. The result was a 10-bed ward and an elective patient procedure area that supported patient recovery while also meeting staff needs. The modular fit out meant that MIG provided a full turnkey solution in 10 weeks.
Tactical flexibility
Tactical flexibility is vital for hospitals as they prepare facilities for unforeseen circumstances. As the COVID pandemic demonstrated, healthcare facilities must be able to seamlessly adapt to short-term changes, such as drastic increases in patient demand, and ensure continuity of care through periods of disruption
This is one of the reasons behind PodServe, a containerised modular healthcare solution that MIG has developed to provide gas support to external buildings and mobile units. This type of tactical flexibility allows hospitals to increase their capacity quickly and efficiently, ensuring they can continue to provide high-quality care to their patients, whatever the circumstances may be.
PodServe provides modular solutions in the form of containerised plant rooms and gas pod units, suitable for a wide range of healthcare applications. These solutions include cylinder manifolds, vacuum plants, compressor plants, medical gas alarms, and electrical and heating installations, all of which can be externally installed alongside new or existing healthcare facilities.
The future of mobile healthcare units
As Trusts are increasingly required to deliver a more adaptable healthcare service, they face the question of how to supply sufficient medical gas systems in order to accommodate their growing estate.
The flexibility and scalability of PodServe enables Trusts to ensure their mobile healthcare units are just as effective as permanent constructions.
PodServe plant rooms and gas pods can last for years if maintained correctly, and they are much easier to maintain and modify than fitted gas pipelines.
These mobile units could also play a major role in reducing carbon outputs, as they can be designed to incorporate renewable energy sources and more energy-efficient technology.
Strategic, long-term flexibility and future-proofing
In the long term, the function, capacity and technology of healthcare facilities must continue to evolve to meet changing patient needs, which means providers need to be able to adapt their strategy accordingly.
Healthcare construction experts have acknowledged modular construction as one of three main approaches facilitating flexibility in the healthcare industry. Others include separating systems, which involves planning for part replacement and designing for overcapacity.
Modular healthcare construction is becoming increasingly popular as healthcare professionals acknowledge the potential it offers for scalability. By adopting a modular approach, hospitals can quickly and easily expand without the need for extensive reconstruction or renovation.
MIG’s George Eliot hospital is an excellent example of this type of flexibility, as the installation has been designed with future expansion in mind. The facility is made up of 33 units and has been structurally reinforced to allow additional storeys to be added on top of the design in the future, ensuring the facility can expand as and when it needs to.
What should healthcare facilities do?
In short, healthcare estates teams must remain flexible when it comes to their Trust’s overall strategy, which means embracing the changes and opportunities presented by medical advancements and changing patient and staff needs. Our team’s engineering capabilities and technical skills allow them to construct facilities that are flexible, adaptable, and future-proof, ensuring their clients can provide high-quality care to their patients at all times.
To see how our innovative approach to hospital expansion could improve your facility, contact a member of our team.
