KARL STORZ at the Chesterfield – A new Design for a new Space

The new Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, The Chesterfield, has now been officially opened, and is welcoming patients into its impressive complex, which combines brand new clinical buildings with the beautifully converted listed Georgian centrepiece, Clifton Court. The hospital is a Centre of Excellence for minimally invasive keyhole surgery, and the first fully digital hospital in the South West. It represents a £20million investment in Bristol’s wellbeing, and confirms Nuffield Health’s position as a leading force in the development and implementation of innovative hospital design and facilities.

The Chesterfield has three integrated digital operating theatres, plus a top of the range diagnostic centre including MRI, CT, Digital Mammography and High Definition Endoscopy. As part of an ongoing and highly successful relationship, Nuffield Health chose KARL STORZ to design and equip the theatres, all of which feature the OR1^™ NEO. The OR1^™ NEO is the latest version of the KARL STORZ OR1^™ operating theatre and by far the most advanced, packed full of innovation and integrated services for endoscopic surgery, creating the ultimate operating environment. Nuffield Health has been particularly impressed by the OR1^™ NEO’s unique Realistic User Interface (RUI), which allows both ease of use and risk reduction through exact device replication. This was a fundamental part of the KARL STORZ proposal, as was the reassurance of full clinical and technical support.

The OR1^™ NEO theatres integrate the complex requirements of an operating theatre, bringing together endoscopy, full HD camera technology, visualisation, documentation and communication. They give surgeons complete control over every aspect of their surgery, with all necessary information at their fingertips. The ability to pre-set the theatre to an individual surgeon’s needs creates a bespoke experience that reduces both operating times and the length of time a patient is under anaesthetic. This, combined with the lower impact nature of keyhole surgery, reduces the amount of time patients need to spend in hospital and helps to speed up recovery.

The theatres at The Chesterfield are particularly innovative as the decision was made to create more space by the removal of anaesthetic rooms, with the anaesthetic instead being delivered in the theatre itself. This involved a reconfiguration of the space and the “softening” of the theatre through the use of dimmable blue lighting and music from iPods, all combining to create a more relaxed, less clinical environment for the patient, and all controlled from the touchscreen system within the OR1^™ NEO. This reconfiguration also leaves more circulating space for the clinical team, and was designed specifically to suit the hospital’s requirements – it is a completely new design, for a completely new space.

Although the clinical building is new and purpose-built, the design included the sympathetic refurbishment of a Georgian Grade II listed building at the entrance of the hospital complex, now used for meeting and consulting rooms. Each OR1^™ NEO theatre is equipped for two-way communication with two of the conference rooms, connected through video conferencing, controllable in the conference rooms through a multi-functional lectern with roaming iPad control.

“The new Chesterfield Hospital provides a fantastic new medical facility for Bristol, and the integrated theatres from KARL STORZ will ensure that our Nuffield Hospital in Bristol is seen as a centre of excellence in minimally invasive surgery and technology. The digital theatres allow patients to undergo treatment with the most technologically advanced equipment, providing the optimal solution for our surgeons and further enhancing our high standards of patient care.”
Ashley Livesey, Hospital Director at Nuffield Health Bristol

“The partnership forged with Nuffield Health in 2011 has presented KARL STORZ with some exciting projects in the design and development of bespoke operating theatres, none more so than this most challenging of opportunities at The Chesterfield, where we were briefed to respect the heritage and original features of the mansion, yet allow it to accommodate state-of-the-art theatres, packed with the latest in communication technologies. Our OR1^™ team relished this challenge and, in addition to the theatre requirements, we provided £100,000 worth of digital communication systems to allow The Chesterfield to hold surgical master classes and courses for minimally invasive techniques.”
Colin Dobbyne, Director of OR1^™ at KARL STORZ