MAT recently completed work at Fairfield General Hospital, Bury. The

hospital is managed by the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and is

one of the main sites for elective surgery in the North Manchester

area. The project has doubled the number of ultraclean theatres in

the seven-theatre suite from two to four and increased the hospital’s

orthopaedic capacity.

As part of an initiative to increase available ward space at North

Manchester General Hospital, the trust is in the process of moving

some of its orthopaedic operations to Fairfield General Hospital; the

two upgraded theatres mean Fairfield is fully prepared for the

increased number of surgeries, and will be able to treat patients in

the most advanced theatre environment, designed to incorporate the

latest technological advancements. MAT completed the project with

a very quick turnaround from tender to design to installation, working

closely with the hospital throughout to guarantee minimum

disruption to the day to day running of the theatre suite.

It was recognised that noise generation was going to be one of the

major challenges as the works were immediately adjacent to the

existing fully operational orthopaedic theatres and the 10-bed ICU.

MAT worked closely with the principal project manager, David

Shepherd, and the theatre management team, as seven days a week

working with extended hours was necessary in order to ensure that

noisy operations were undertaken outside critical times.