Yorkon News Archives

10/03/2003 – Reducing trolley waiting times at Whipps Cross University Hospital

The local population of East London is to benefit from a new Emergency Medicine Centre at Whipps Cross University Hospital to tackle trolley waiting times. Modular building specialist and Portakabin subsidiary, Yorkon, has manufactured the building off-site in York and craned in more than 1,000 sqm of accommodation in just four days.

The scheme will be a major driver in enabling the Trust to meet Government targets for reducing the time patients have to spend on trolleys to no more than four hours. It is part of a £2.5m investment by the Trust in an Emergency Medicine Centre, which will provide the highest standards of acute medical care to the local population.

Commenting on the project, Reg Hollis, Head of Building and Engineering Services at Whipps Cross University Hospital, said, “Our decision to use off-site construction for this scheme was based on two important factors – speed and minimising disruption. We have an immediate need for the building in order to achieve Government targets – the modular approach will help us to cut the build time by half.”

“It is also essential for the A&E department to remain fully operational throughout the construction period, despite the building's location adjoining the major treatment area and between the pedestrian and ambulance blue light entrances. This will help us ensure we minimise any disruption to patient care.” He added, “The cranage went extremely well and achieved our objective of keeping the A&E department and ambulance entrances fully open throughout.”

The single-storey extension to the Accident and Emergency Department will provide access to medical assessment and the treatment of emergency problems, based on clinical need, for the first 24 hours of the patient's admission. Patients will then either be discharged or admitted to a hospital ward.

The scheme will accommodate 30 new beds in a mix of 6-bed, 4-bed and single ensuite rooms, and will have facilities such as blood, gas and ultrasound units, dirty and clean utility rooms, offices and assisted showers. It is designed by Yorkon in conjunction with lead architects Broadway Malyan Healthcare.

Off-site construction involves the manufacture of steel-framed modules in a factory environment, using production line technology, whilst the foundations are completed on site. The modules are delivered to site by road where they are craned into position in just a few days. Yorkon's award-winning modular building system is an efficient alternative to traditional site-based construction, which saves time, guarantees quality and cost control, improves site safety and minimises disruption to existing operations.