Standby Power for New Mental Health Hospital in York
23rd August 2019
YorPower have been selected to provide standby generator power for a new hospital in York. Bootham Park Hospital is to be replaced with a mental health hospital that will comprise two separate single sex wings for adults along with a ward for dementia patients and a ward for people suffering with mental health conditions such as psychosis, severe depression or anxiety. YorPower have supplied a 500kVA Perkins powered canopied generator in order to provide the emergency backup power required. Planning permission was granted by York City Council.
The primary aim and purpose of the new hospital, according to the TEWV chief operating officer, is to give “access to high quality mental health care” whilst offering “cutting edge facilities” that support their service user, families and carers with their needs. The Tees, Esk, Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust purchased the land earlier in the year for £3 million. Our client was then commissioned to carry out the project. At the current rate, it is predicted that the hospital will be ready for patients to move in at the beginning of 2020. According to the director of the construction company, this building will create opportunities for the local community such as site visits, employment workshops, work experience for schools, colleges and local job seekers. Outcome is expected to be a high-quality build in order to deliver a state-of-the-art facility. Besides the 72 beds that will be made available for mental health patients, the construction of the new hospital is part of a wider project to transform mental health care across York and Selby. “The team has already made great strides to engage with schools and colleges across York” just the beginning of the effort to make a difference to local people’s lives, as stated by the construction company’s CEO.
Our client is a UK – wide contractor specialising in maximising value for customers in the public and private sector, who prioritise safety and quality. They have an extensive proven track record with core markets; commercial & mixed-use developments, education and student accommodation, heritage, local authority frameworks, inner-city residential, senior living, industrial and research, with an emphasis on sustainability.
The 500kVA custom-built Perkins Powered Generator will be used as standby power for the hospital. With an integrated fuel and control system, efficiency and reliability are maximised. A hospital is a prime example of when standby power is absolutely critical. Hospitals must be able to sustain power in order to sustain life. Electricity is required to keep all machines running 24/7, especially life support machines in intensive care units and operating theatres. Hospitals, themselves, are life support systems in times of emergency and general healthcare. When hospital power outages occur, putting lives at risk, backup power systems are deployed.
This Perkins Generator set also comprises a fuel tank which allows extra hours of backup power for an entire hospital. Depending on the size of the hospital and the amount of fuel stored, the diesel generator can keep a hospital running for up to 24 hours. This allows enough time to find an alternative source of electricity or to repair the mains issue. No power means multiple lives at risk with monitors, oxygen masks, and other valuable, power-dependent equipment that cannot function without a backup power source. The additional risk posed by power outages is the loss of communication – not only can valuable data be lost on system for individual patients, when the phone lines go down, emergency ambulance services are compromised.
YorPower are proud to be contributing to such a change-inducing project to the city of York. Facilities like these can really take full advantage of our services and put our emergency power systems to good use. We are glad to be able to support Bootham Hospital as it strives to provide state-of-the-art facilities and push for more support systems for mental health in the surrounding areas, removing stigmas that continue to linger and inhibit progress.
