Project: Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust’s intensive care unit

Background

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust officially opened its new intensive care unit in February 2017.

The multi-million pound project created a brand new, state-of-the-art, 14-bed intensive care unit equipped with all the latest medical technology. At the same time, a dedicated facility providing accommodation for relatives of patients in the ICU was set up.

Finally, as part of the work, funds were used to breathe new life into the main hospital entrance and space was made available for a new café and shop, plus other amenities including toilets and a baby changing facility.

Project

The project was to create a fully-equipped and patient-focused environment to transform the delivery of care to people in the area.

The plan was to close down the current 10-bed intensive care unit – which was more than 30 years old – and develop a new 14-bed medical facility at Torbay Hospital, which is South Devon’s main hospital.

A two-year cash campaign set up by the Torbay Hospital’s League of Friends raised £1.6m through its ‘This Is Critical’ appeal and work started in March 2015.

During the build, more than 600 people were involved, 4,500 tonnes of waste was removed, and 5,476 tonnes of concrete was used to construct the new building. A total of 150 miles of cabling was installed, and 645 light units were fitted.

BetweenGlassBlinds

A total of 70 BetweenGlassBlinds magnetic, tilt and lift units, complete with magnetic operation on both sides, were supplied to Luton-based Profile Glazing Systems Limited for the project at Torbay Hospital.

This completely cordless system from BetweenGlassBlinds is operated via neat and unobtrusive sliding magnetic blocks located around the perimeter of the unit. The magnets control the operation of the blinds with ease, allowing the user to tilt the blinds in one slick and easy motion.

The blinds are hermetically-sealed between two panes of glass, making them maintenance-free and ideal in a hospital environment, as they meet the requirements for clinical infection control.

Noted for their innovation and versatility, the integrated blinds allow the user full control of privacy, which is vital in a busy location like an intensive care unit, while also reducing glare and sunlight.

A Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson, said: “The first seeds were planted for this project a number of years ago and the Trust is really grateful to everyone who was involved in the project for their hard work in seeing the project come to fruition.”

Tony Warren, technical director at Profile Glazing Systems Limited in Midland Road, Luton, says the project at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust’s new intensive care unit had been interesting and a pleasure to work on.

He says: “I was extremely pleased with the products supplied from BetweenGlassBlinds. I found the team at BGB to be really supportive and extremely professional. When I needed help from the technical staff, they were full of knowledge and quick to advise.

“The hospital project was very complex, but we were really pleased with the finished work. The contract at the hospital lasted for many months but the blinds from BetweenGlassBlinds really do look superb.”

Profile Glazing Systems Limited is a company specialising in the design, fabrication and installation of steel glazing systems, including fire rated steel windows, doors and curtain walling.