NHS Trust - Northampton General Hospital

Project:

To develop a new state-of-the-art Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU) at Northampton General Hospital. Axis had a key role, devising a solution capable of providing flexible space with options of a light and open environment for better communication between staff to manage problems with patients more effectively, but also with the option to isolate spaces for patient privacy, when required.

Challenges:

There were a few challenges on this project, all of which we overcame without compromising on design and quality. The challenges included:

• The overall project’s tight deadlines
• The limited footprint of the site
• Maintaining noise and dust controls within a working hospital

Solution:

Axis designed and installed our own, award-winning FLO-MOTION® DOORS, the extra low friction manual sliding door system.

The full width and height doors are fabricated using extruded aluminium profiles and the frame includes a reinforced transom bar to support the track system. The system features recirculating ball cassettes that run on a low resistance linear track with a damper mechanism at the fully opened and closed positions. The limited contact between the bearings and the track enables the doors to be opened and closed effortlessly.

The sliding doors and the accompanying full height glazed screens were double glazed incorporating interstitial blinds. The blinds are operated by a slide magnet for ‘tilt and turn’ functions offering either visibility or privacy

Outcome:

The new ITU department provides several significant benefits for patients and staff, including:

• More efficient and effective working
• A more spacious department with more natural light
• Providing staff and patients with better visibility of each other
• Better patient experience