A Bodelwyddan-based construction company has finished a full-scale ward refurbishment inside a major North Wales hospital to meet improved post-pandemic care standards.
Wynne Construction’s work at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s (BCUHB) Ysbyty Glan Clwyd has seen the space, which has been used to help meet increased pressures on the hospital over the past two years of the pandemic, transformed into a high-spec, general-use unit.
The redevelopment will help doctors and nurses at the hospital return to their purpose-built departments across the hospital.
Wynne’s activity included installing equipped clinics and consulting rooms, eight single-use private bedrooms as well as four bays in multiple occupancy rooms, each consisting of four beds with an increased distance between beds of half a metre.
The revamp has also provided an opportunity to install a state-of-the-art ventilation system which meets the latest infection prevention standards. The new system, which meets the gold-standard for post-COVID care, increases the frequency of fresh air flowing into the ward, minimising the risk of airborne infectious particles.
Neil Rogers, acute care director at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, said: “As we exit the pandemic, we have an opportunity to transform and modernise our space to better support patient care. This refurbishment is an example of this.
“The design and development of Ward 10 reinforces our commitment to continuously improve secondary care across North Wales. We thank Wynne Construction for working with us on this project.”
The development of the 24-bed unit comes as part of BCUHB’s plans to consolidate patients’ health and comfort within the region’s hospitals by ensuring updated facilities abide by regulations such as regular fresh air flow and increasing the distance between beds.
Graham Dickson, contracts manager at Wynne Construction, said: “Working in a live building such as a hospital has made it crucial to coordinate our work with the schedules of adjacent wards, meaning planning ahead and sticking to strict timescales was key.
“We were constantly working alongside management and clinical staff to complete tasks when it was feasible to do so, as the development often saw us going into other areas of the building, such as the ceiling voids of the floor below to install the ward’s draining.
“Collaborating with the health board has been particularly rewarding as we are also based in Bodelwyddan, so being able to serve our shared community makes finishing the venture all the more of an achievement.”
