Day surgery unit built using off-site construction


Day surgery unit, Swansea

Working with leading healthcare architects Nightingale Associates, ModuleCo provided a contemporary modular day surgery centre at Singleton Hospital for Swansea NHS Trust. The building not only benefits from advantages associated with off-site construction, but also has a distinctive, eye-catching appearance.

The requirement. To meet targets for waiting lists set for all Trusts in Wales by the Welsh Assembly, Swansea NHS Trust planned to re-distribute the services between its main hospitals – Singleton and Morriston. To enable these changes, the Trust had a requirement for a new Day Surgery Centre. The unit would allow Singleton Hospital to concentrate on day case surgery, leaving Morriston Hospital to focus on emergency admissions and more complex surgery.

				The solution. ModuleCo offered an off-site construction solution to provide a state of the art day surgery unit. Architecturally designed and built to the highest standards, the complex widens the perceptions about modular buildings and has surpassed expectations.

The internal environment was created with patients and staff in mind, careful selection of internal finishes and the quality of the detailing. Internal features include floor to ceiling windows, circular skylight, hygienic vinyl flooring and decorative lighting. Slate coloured Eternit rain screen cladding, a steel canopy and etched effect glazing enhances the exterior of the building.

The modular day surgery unit consists of two waiting areas, two operating theatres, a 6-bed first stage recovery, three 6-bed second stage recoveries, five assessment rooms, a reception, staff facilities and ancillary areas. The building is self-contained. It is serviced by a roof-mounted plant room and an external plant compound, accommodating AGSS and a medical gases supply system.

The benefits. Short construction programme Stimulating exterior and interior design Patient and staff friendly environment Design life over 60 years Internal finishes and details to improve infection control Supported by an independent power and medical gases supply

				The result. The new Singleton day surgery unit is a single storey, architecturally designed modular building that adds two new operating theatres and a 24-bed recovery and day unit. It is currently used to provide a hundred operations per week for day case patients of Swansea NHS Trust.

Day surgery unit, Swansea