Press Release: Construction of state-of-the-art Pharmacy and Sterile Services Facility under way in city
We are thrilled to share that IHSS Ltd had the honour of participating in the momentous groundbreaking ceremony held on August 18th at the Southampton site in collaboration with UHS, Willmott Dixon, and Prime Plc.
Reflecting on this occasion, our Managing Director, Gary Clarke, expressed his elation, stating, “It brings us great joy to reach this significant milestone and commence the next phase of this exciting project. The new Aseptic Pharmacy and Sterile Service Department at the Adanac Health & Innovation Campus will usher in remarkable advancements for UHS, paving the way for future community care. This increased capacity will seamlessly accommodate the anticipated expansion of surgical procedures, contributing to efficient and sustainable healthcare delivery. Beyond this, the state-of-the-art facility promises an enchanting modern work environment equipped with cutting-edge technology for our skilled workforce. Aligned with our shared growth aspirations with UHS, we look forward to attracting community members to join us in our mission within Sterile Services.”
The full press release can be found below:
The construction of a new state-of-the-art pharmacy and sterile services facility has begun in the city thanks to a partnership between University Hospital Southampton (UHS) and healthcare property specialists Prime plc.
Based at the Adanac Health and Innovation Campus in Southampton, the new multi-use site will enable in-house production of a range of life-saving medicines for patients across the region.
The controlled environment means highly qualified staff will be able to prepare ready-to-administer chemotherapy drugs, as well as intravenous nutrition and antibiotics and medicines for use in pioneering clinical trials at UHS and other healthcare providers.
In addition to the aseptic pharmacy, the location will provide capacity for the sterilisation of medical devices, equipment and instruments, including all reusable surgical instruments and equipment used by UHS.
Sterile services will continue to be delivered by the current UHS provider IHSS Ltd at the new site.
The build, which is being delivered by construction company Willmott Dixon, is a relocation and expansion of the sterile services department (SSD) from the main hospital site in Tremona Road, freeing up additional space for the delivery of frontline clinical care.
UHS is one of the largest acute teaching trusts in England and experiences high demand on its limited estate.
By working with Prime, through the Southampton Commercial Estates Development Partnership (CEDP), the Trust has been able to overcome a number of estates challenges to create more space.
James Allen, chief pharmacist at UHS, said: “We are delighted to be working alongside Wilmott Dixon and Prime in the construction of our new pharmacy aseptic production facility.
“This state-of-the-art development will be a significant leap forward in our capacity to produce sterile, pre-prepared medicines which are vital in the care of patients in areas such as surgery, intensive care and cancer services.
“As an MHRA-licensed unit, the facility will utilise advances in automation to produce products at scale, enhancing the capacity of patient pathways in UHS and NHS trusts in Hampshire and neighbouring healthcare systems.”
Ewan Forsyth, Development Director for Prime, said: “The construction of these facilities will be a major milestone in our partnership with UHS and a big step towards our shared goal of deepening the reputation of Southampton as a centre for medical excellence, preserving clinical space and enriching the local economy.”
Gary Clarke, Managing Director at IHSS, said: “The new SSD at the Adanac Health and Innovation Campus will bring to huge advancements to UHS which will enable the future provision of care in the community.
“The additional capacity will support the inevitable expansion of surgical procedures in the upcoming years and allow clinical health to be delivered in a more efficient and sustainable way.”
The MHRA-licensed pharmacy will be subject to high levels of regulatory control and quality assurance, with sterile medicines manufactured for UHS and other NHS providers in the region.
The build was officially launched at a recent ceremony where representatives from UHS, Prime and Willmott Dixon, including James Allen and David French (CEO) from UHS, attended and a completed a short tour of the site.
Ends
Notes to editors
1) University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) is one of the largest acute teaching trusts in England with a turnover of more than £1.15 billion in 2021/22. UHS provides hospital services for 1.9 million people living in southern Hampshire and specialist services – including neurosciences, respiratory medicine, cancer, cardiovascular, obstetrics and specialist children’s services – to more than 3.7 million people in central southern England and the Channel Islands. Southampton General Hospital is a designated major trauma centre serving the Wessex Region and Channel Islands and is one of only two places in the south of England to offer adults and children full onsite major trauma care provision.
2) Every year more than 12,000 staff see 650,000 people at outpatient appointments, deal with 150,000 attendances at the emergency department and treat 160,000 admitted emergency, inpatient or day case patients. In addition, the trust delivers more than 100 outpatient clinics across the south of England to keep services local for patients. Providing these services costs £2.7 million per day.
3) Following the Care Quality Commission’s most recent inspection (report published in April 2019), all sites and services across UHS are now rated as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ in the effective and caring domains. Overall, the trust received a ‘good’ rating – and ‘outstanding’ for providing effective services. Among individual services, the CQC rated urgent and emergency services, medical care, surgery, services for children and young people and end of life care ‘good‘, with critical care ‘outstanding’. To view the full report, visit www.cqc.org.uk/provider/RHM/reports.
4) UHS is consistently one of the UK’s highest recruiting trusts of patients to clinical trials and in the top ten nationally for research study volume as ranked by the NIHR Clinical Research Network. In partnership with the University of Southampton, UHS has £27 million of NIHR infrastructure dedicated to bringing the latest treatments to patients. For more information, visit www.uhs.nhs.uk/ClinicalResearchinSouthampton.
5) To help shape the future of hospital services and raise issues that are important to patients, families and visitors, become a UHS member. Anyone interested in finding out more or joining can contact the membership office on www.uhs.nhs.uk/members. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for all the latest news updates.
6) Southampton Hospitals Charity enhances the care and treatment of our patients by raising funds to support areas that lie beyond the scope of NHS funding. For more information, visit www.southamptonhospitalscharity.org
For more information email communications@uhs.nhs.uk.
