Designed by TODD Architects, the opening of the new £3.37m Aseptic Suite marks the second phase completion of the planned redevelopment programme at the Craigavon Area Hospital campus.
Located in front of the Macmillan Building, the two-storey state of the art unit will be used for preparing and dispensing highly specialised medications such as chemotherapy.
Welcoming the new development, Dr Tracey Boyce, Director of Pharmacy for the Southern Health and Social Care Trust said,
“Our pharmacy, oncology and haematology teams work closely to ensure that we are continually improving services so that patients can receive the best possible care. Preparation of specialist medications like chemotherapy require great expertise, in particularly controlled environmental conditions. We are absolutely delighted that patients in the Mandeville Unit can receive their treatments much more quickly now that our new unit is situated close beside.”
The new suite replaces the previous modular structure attached to the Pharmacy Department and houses a counselling room where the team can give confidential support and advice to cancer patients about their medication. It will be named the McWilliam Suite in memory of a highly respected pharmacy colleague, Gillian McWilliams, who sadly passed away from cancer.
Associate Architect Andrew Speer, TODD Architects, added,
“The Aseptic Suite building is designed to provide highly specialist cleanroom pharmaceutical facilities to comply with latest regulatory standards and has a close functional relationship with the adjacent Macmillan Building. The 300m2 ground floor has large external windows providing optimal natural light to the staff work areas. The geometric patterned cladding to the first-floor plantroom continues the architectural language established in the earlier phase of the masterplan.”
The opening of the bright and welcoming Blossom Children & Young People’s Centre last year marked the beginning of a phased masterplan for the hospital Campus, devised by TODD Architects after extensive engagement with clinicians and end users.