Month: April 2020

With the current drive towards improving efficiency and saving costs across hospitals, barn operating theatres have become a new and innovative way to use theatres.

The term ‘barn theatre’ refers to the open-plan design of the main surgical area, where each patient is treated in a dedicated space alongside the next patient, with a specialised air canopy over each station to prevent the spread of infection. The barn theatres have adjoining anaesthetic rooms and traditional recovery areas. Benefits of barn theatres include lower infection rates, improved safety and enhanced team working.

However, for multiple operations to take place in a single open space, it is essential that the ventilation system provides the protection against cross-contamination that would normally be provided by the intervening theatre walls. It’s also essential that the correct doors are specified to maintain the correct room pressures and prevent the spread of infection.

The open plan design of the barn theatre can offer lots of potential and numerous benefits, including:

– Opportunities for enhanced team working
– Greater peer awareness of contemporary surgical practice and standards
– Improved supervision for non-consultant surgeons
– Opportunities to develop non-doctor anaesthetists in a safe environment
– Efficient space utilization
– Reduced infection rates through improved theatre discipline.

Although the concept of the barn theatre is still relatively new, there have been an increasing number of barn theatres completed within the past few years; including Wrightington Hospital in Lancashire, Broadgreen Hospital in Liverpool and Chase Farm Hospital in London. There are a few other similar projects, including those at Salford Royal Hospital and the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham.

Dortek have supplied specialist doors to a number of these theatres, with Wrightington hospital and Chase Farm Hospital being the most recent. Dortek hermetic sealing sliding doors were specified on the recent Chase Farm project to provide maximum hygiene, ease of access and control of air leakage. Our hermetic doors have a 99% air tight seal, which helps prevent air leakage and reduce the risk of cross contamination in these areas. The doors and privacy vision panels were also supplied with lead and laser protection and touchless automations. The hygienic GRP construction of our hospital doors gives them a smooth, non porous and easy to clean surface which is ideal for infection control areas. Unlike timber doors, Dortek hygienic GRP doors have no natural seams, voids or crevices which can harbour bacteria. They are also free from hard to clean lips, joins and ledges (even around vision panels).

In essence barn theatres have numerous benefits, for orthopaedics surgery in particular and are designed to help hospitals treat more people more quickly, safely and cost-effectively. The unique concept means that more operating theatres can be put into smaller spaces with reduced members of operating staff. With multiple surgeons working alongside each other it’s also an ideal opportunity to share best practice and standards.

In the following video, Dr Alan McGlennan, medical director at Chase Farm Hospital, talks through the benefits of the new barn theatres in more detail. https://vimeo.com/281403947

Dortek has recently completed a project for a new state of the art cleanroom facility which will enable a leading international gene and cell therapy company to expand its bioprocessing operations and manufacturing capabilities.

From the outset Dortek were appointed to work alongside the project team to design, manufacture and install specialist hygienic GRP doors for the facility. Dortek doors were installed into GMP cleanroom suites, production areas and quality control laboratories.

The specialist areas have been designed in full compliance with MHRA regulations and conform to ISO cleanroom standards. This includes the use of zoned HVAC systems to maintain the segregation, cleanliness, air pressures and other environmental controls.

Choosing the correct door system is a critical part of the design within these facilities as the doors will dictate compliance with standards, ease of traffic movement, hygiene, fire regulations and balance of air movement. As well as this, doors must be seamless, waterproof, resistant to cleaning regimes and free of voids and organic material such as wood where bacteria could multiply.

Dortek supplied 160+ hygienic door systems, some doors had hermetic sealing for air pressure differential and VHP fumigation control. Doors were also supplied with fire and smoke test certifications. More than 60% of the hinged and sliding doors are automated and interlocked, actuated by touchless sensors for greater facility control against cross contamination.

Dortek hygienic GRP doors are completely free from cracks and joints making them the most hygienic solution. The moulded seamless construction of a Dortek door makes it easy to clean, non-absorbent and able to withstand the intensive cleaning regimes which are often used in cleanrooms and research laboratories.

Dortek’s Marketing Manager, Sheree Headspith, said: ‘We have built a strong reputation for supplying our specialist hygienic GRP doors to the biotechnology industry and the number and quality of projects we are being specified on continues to grow. We are delighted to be able to offer our expertise and knowledge on doors for these highly specialist facilities which are required to meet strict regulations and high standards of cleanliness.’

Reasons why Dortek Hygienic GRP Doors are specified in Bioscience and Research facilities:

• Smooth, seamless hygienic door construction
• Door and frame completely void free – nowhere that moisture and bacteria can gather undetected
• Ledges minimised (windows are completely flush to both sides of the door)
• Hardware options – hinges, locks and closers can fit virtually any GRP door panel.
• Resistant to the commonly used cleaning and fumigation agents used in research facilities
• Lightweight yet very strong – increased widths and heights available, all easy to operate
• High hygiene, hermetic sealing and fire rating in one door
• Fire certificated to UL, BS, EN, China, Singapore, Australia and NZ standards.

Dortek hygienic GRP doors are specified for leading global vaccine manufacturing sites around the world. This has for over 20 years now included GSK Vaccines who are one of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturers.

Dortek’s hygienic GRP doors play an essential role in maintaining hygiene, as well as providing certified fire ratings and ensuring safe and efficient access across vaccine manufacturing facilities.

Dortek hygienic doors are manufactured from high technology engineering GRP using a unique closed mould process. This creates a strong, uniform product with no seams or joins on the door surface and no voids, holes or crevices within for bacteria to harbour. Dortek hygienic GRP doors are free of timber and other organic materials that promote bacterial growth. They are also completely impervious to moisture and common cleaning chemicals and disinfectants. This makes them ideally suited to vaccine manufacturing areas requiring maximum hygiene and cleanability.

A further key feature are the critical air pressure cascades required in vaccine facilities. Dortek doors are able to maintain air pressure differentials and therefore contribute to the smooth and clean running of the facility.

About GSK Vaccines

GSK Vaccines deliver over two million vaccine doses per day to people living in over 160 countries. GSK vaccines has a portfolio of over 30 vaccines, helping to protect people from 21 diseases. One third of the vaccines in development help to target diseases particularly prevalent in the developing world, including all three WHO infectious diseases priorities: HIV, Malaria ad TB.

Dortek have been supplying specialist hygienic GRP doors to GSK vaccines for more than 20 years. This has included the following manufacturing sites, GSK Wavre, GSK Rixensart Belgium, St. Amand Les Eaux, France, Godollo, Hungary and Singapore.