Hurrairah bin Sohail speaks with Engie about how the integrator helped Casey Hospital expand its facilities to better service Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
Casey Hospital is a 229-bed facility providing a wide and comprehensive range of health services in Melbourne’s outer
East. Funded by the Victorian
Government in partnership with
Monash Health and Plenary
Group, construction of the AUD
135 million [approximately USD 93
million] Casey Hospital expansion
project commenced in 2017 and
was completed in April 2019.
The 13,000 square metres
expansion undertaken enables
the provider, Monash Health, to
treat 25,000 patients, perform an
additional 8,000 procedures and
support 1,300 births annually.
Engie served as the integrator
for the project completing the
design, supply, install, testing and
commissioning of the AV systems
across a range of spaces including
collaboration rooms, meeting
rooms, digital operating theatres,
integrated operating theatres,
lecture theatres and more. Engie
worked closely with Watpac and
CHW Consulting on the design
and construction of the Casey
Hospital expansion project to
deliver a world-class health and
science infrastructure.
Glenn Yole, major bid manager
at Engie, says: “Casey Hospital
needed an expansion to enable
residents of Melbourne’s outer
South East to access quality
critical care closer to home,
given both the unprecedented
population growth and the need
for higher acuity services.”
He continues: “The project
concerned the expansion of
the existing Casey Hospital in
Berwick, Victoria. The project
scope included a new tower
building as well as refurbishment
and extension of the existing
building.”
The objectives of the project
were defined and desired
outcomes had been identified
early. More specifically, improving
service quality, operational
efficiency and flexibility were
key considerations.
Regarding service quality,
Yole says: “The client wanted to
improve access to health care
services across the whole of
Monash Health’s catchment area
and to increase the provision of
healthcare and hospital services
to the under-serviced South East
growth corridor of Melbourne.
The goal was to assist Monash
Health to achieve best practice
in effectiveness of care, ensuring
better patient outcomes and
enhanced efficiency, both in use
and in operating costs. We had to
provide infrastructure facilities
and services that assist Monash
Health to attract and retain
quality staff at all levels.
“Engie integrated AV systems
that enable the hospital to treat
more patients and perform extra
and higher acuity procedures,
thereby reducing the number of
patients needing to be transferred
to surrounding facilities. We
supplied and installed the AV for
the new operating theatre suite
which is immediately adjacent
to the emergency department
to allow direct access for urgent
patients. Collaboration rooms
in all new clinical areas support
interdisciplinary care and
facilitate communication
between staff from a variety
of disciplines.”
Where operational efficiency
was concerned, Yole from Engie
details: “To build an operationally
efficient Casey Hospital meant
supporting Monash Health
to deliver hospital functions
efficiently within the budgets
allocated. The layout and design
of the expansion has a strong
connection with the existing
hospital, thereby offering an
efficient health services delivery
model. In particular, the new
operating theatres are co-located
with the existing operating
theatres and the new day surgical
unit to ensure efficient flow of
patients and integration of staff.
Meeting rooms are now located
on the periphery of inpatient
departments so they can be
accessed by other areas to
maximise use.”
Lastly, Yole talks about how
flexibility has been delivered:
“Operational sustainability has
been supported with the use of
standardisation where possible,
for example with generic inpatient
rooms and reuse of existing
spaces where possible while core
infrastructure has been provided
in locations which will not
obstruct change or expansion.”
The operating theatres included
as part of the Casey Hospital
expansion project have been
equipped with two NEC 55-in
flat panel displays while digital
operating theatres have four
NEC 55-in flat panel displays
along with videoconferencing
capabilities.
The flat panels can be found
on the perimeter walls and are
configured to show the multiple
video sources available and share
content with the surgical team
during any procedure. A range
of custom video connection
plates are strategically available
throughout the theatre and built
into the theatre ceiling pendants.
These inputs allow for the
connection of PACs, Picture
Archive and Communication,
PCs, imaging PCs and other
medical equipment with video
imaging such as scopes.
Two Sony 24-in clinical grade
monitors are installed on pendant
arms to allow clinicians, surgeons
and assistants to view source
images whilst performing
operations. Two Sony HD PTZ
cameras are provided at different
locations around the theatre to
capture both close up and room
views of the theatre operations.
The system includes support
for capture and recording of
operations for teaching and
review purposes. Extron SMP 351
recording and streaming solution
captures content.
Yole provides further details on
how the video system functions:
“The AV equipment is integrated
into the operating theatres,
thereby allowing for connection
to pendants, cameras, arm
monitors and third-party
medical devices. The operating
theatres’ AV systems support
the requirements for surgical
operations, including the ability
to display local sources on
multiple displays, ability to show
live camera feeds from multiple
angles and the capability to
capture and record theatre
surgical operations. Operating
theatres are fully integrated with
fibre systems and are supported
with 4K infrastructure for
premium resolution video to
provide highest accuracy of
imaging from medical
equipment.”
Crestron and Extron switching
infrastructure are located
remotely to reduce heat, noise,
and to minimise impact on
surgery floor space.
With the accurate functioning
of the video system a critical
requirement of the operating
theatre, the selection of the right
infrastructure was crucial. Yole
details: “We considered three
specific control and switching
systems, Extron, Crestron and a
Crestron-Extron ‘hybrid’. The aim
was to provide the most reliable
solution at the best price. The
system recommended to and
accepted by the review team was
the ‘hybrid’ system which allowed
the provision of groundbreaking
Crestron control designs that were
previously deployed successfully
in an expansion for Bendigo
Hospital. The hybrid system
achieved a reduction in cost with
the option of mission-critical
switching provided by Extron.”
Audio in the operation theatres
is provided by Quest QTC2080BC
6-in speakers with backcans.
Crestron digital signal processors
and Australian Monitor AMP-
2100-100 amplifiers are also
employed.
Yole says: “The system includes
ceiling speakers that reinforce
the audio within the operating
theatre and the anaesthetic bay.
Ceiling mounted microphones
are installed to capture speech
within the theatre as well as
wireless headset microphones.
“A pair of audio input plates
are provided to playback music
in either the theatre, or the
anaesthetic bay. The bay is zoned
separately, where a separate
audio input plate and volume
control pad is provided.”
Yole details the control system
for the AV provided in the
operating theatre: “Engie chose
Crestron control to emulate the
award-winning designs that
were developed for Bendigo
Hospital. Crestron control
processors carry out the functional
directives of the graphic touch
panels, such as showing particular
video inputs, controlling all
aspects of mic and speaker audio,
setting up video calls and turning
off and on equipment. Occupancy
sensors allow systems to turn
off in the event of rooms being
vacated without being shut down.”
Yole explains the selection of
the control system: “We have
provided a Crestron certified
design utilising the largest
number of consistently branded
hardware to allow a ‘Crestron
backed’ design end to end. This
removes the possibility of
‘finger pointing’ that we see in
the digital realm where one
manufacturer will blame another
manufacturer’s hardware in the
chain for any possible issue.”
Provisions were also made for
the future during the course of the
project. Yole says: “The Crestron certified solution has more
parts but it provided consistent
performance and whilst it met
the FHD component of the
specification, 4K infrastructure,
4K transmitters and receivers had
not yet been released. We included
the Crestron solution in the design
as we believed that by the time of
purchase the 4K signal devices
would be available.”
Paramount importance was
given to the fact that the AV
systems should be easy to use and
serve the surgeons and clinicians
in the operating theatre. Yole talks
about how this was achieved:
“Engie custom- created user
interfaces on large, wall-mounted
Sony touch panels to allow each
surgeon to personalise their own
audio-visual layouts and signal
delivery to receive an optimum
workflow and theatre experience.
This reduces set up time and
allows a familiar layout for each
surgeon depending on their
specific procedures. Our designs
were based on best of global
offerings as far as layout and
submitted to state for approval.”
He continues: “The user
interface provided can be preprogrammed so that surgeons just
need to select their name on the
start-up screen to bring up their
own custom layout. Only
connected devices are shown on
the input selection rather than
every input available. When the
input is in use it appears and when
it is selected for viewing on one
of the many displays, it has an
‘in-use’ green indicator confirming
its connections. The system is
controlled via a wired touch panel.
The touch panel includes video
preview to allow the user to
preview content and to adjust
camera angles.”
Yole adds: “Custom military
expanded beam optical couplers
were used on the operating
theatre pendant and provide
meta data to instantly recognise
medical equipment being
connected and display this on
the touch control screen for
availability. This was offered in
place of a number of current and
legacy connections that are not
made for dirty works or theatre
scrub. The connectors we provided
can be used in the military field
under severe conditions with
thousands of reliable connections.
We believe this is a first in an
operating theatre.”
As with any project, the
integrator faced challenges
along the way. Yole narrates:
“Many of the installation
mounts and methods briefed
in the project were found to be
lacking or required changes as
we collaborated with the client
and their requirements evolved.
As much as all functionality is
attempted to be documented we
find that during the installation
process we gain insight into the
user intention which enables
us to offer cost savings, value
management or better
functionality. Fixed mounts
become rotating mounts, TV
sizes are changed for more
appropriate viewing, equipment
locations change to improve
functionality.”
To conclude, Yole says: “The
solution deployed by Engie uses
current, innovative technology
that promotes an efficient work
environment for healthcare
professionals at Casey Hospital.
The facility is now poised to
deliver even more services to
one of the fastest growing areas
in Melbourne’s South East.”