Cold Room Replacement at The Alexandra Hospital

Client: Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
‍Location: The Alexandra Hospital, Redditch

Project Overview

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust required a critical upgrade to the cold room facilities at The Alexandra Hospital. The existing system was outdated and no longer fit for purpose, with insufficient capacity to reliably protect vital pharmaceutical stock. IRS was appointed to design and install a new solution that would provide enhanced resilience, ensure compliance, and safeguard the Trust’s valuable medicines.

Scope of Works

The project involved the complete replacement of the hospital’s existing refrigeration system with a modern, high-performance solution. Key elements of the works included:

• Installation of new equipment with double the duty of the previous system.
• A run and standby configuration to maximise resilience and ensure continuous operation.
• A new control panel designed to automatically switch between units if required.
• Remote monitoring for 24/7 oversight, offering additional protection for pharmaceutical stock.

Challenges & Temporary Measures

Due to the critical nature of the hospital’s drugs store, maintaining safe storage conditions throughout the works was essential. To achieve this:

• IRS provided two temporary trailer cold rooms for staff use during installation.
• Both temporary units were fitted with monitoring systems, ensuring that medicines remained protected even in the event of a fault.

This careful planning ensured zero disruption to hospital operations and safeguarded valuable stock during the transition.

Outcome

The project was successfully delivered on time and within budget. The new system now offers:

• Enhanced reliability with dual-duty equipment.
• Continuous protection through standby redundancy and advanced monitoring.
• Peace of mind for staff, knowing that critical pharmaceutical supplies are always protected.