Protons, as a service, is reliant on AV to connect us with referring institutions to combine our expertise with specialists across the country. We are focused on excellence at the Christie, and having the equipment we have, connected to our hospital systems as we have, we maintain the highest levels of excellence in our service delivery. - Jim Weightman, Project Manager, Proton Therapy, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
- Jim Weightman, Project Manager, Proton Therapy, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
The Christie Hospital in Manchester is home to the first UK-based NHS high-energy proton beam therapy centre and provides access to pioneering therapy to target tumours more precisely than other existing methods of treatment.
The internationally renowned centre cares for around 750 patients each year, referred from trusts and institutions across the UK.
Within the centre, multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting rooms play a vital part in treatment planning. Enabling groups of specialists from around the world to come together and determine the best way to manage patient care.
During the construction phase of the building, Pure AV consulted with the Trust’s clinical stakeholders to design, install and implement three new purpose-built MDT spaces.
The largest of the rooms, accommodating up to 40 people, provides video conferencing facilities and enables the sharing of detailed medical images and charts with both in-room and remote participants. The design prioritised sound and image quality with simple control for effective content sharing.
Containing both theatre and boardroom style seating, MDT co-ordinators have an L-shaped operator console towards the front of the room with a touch screen control panel to manage the display and distribution of content. An additional control panel is also available on the front wall beside the lectern and six large-format displays have been carefully placed to ensure maximum visibility for all users.
Ceiling mounted speakers and microphones enable precise audio distribution, and a Poly video conferencing system connects remote participants. The addition of Barco Clickshare buttons allows the sharing of content from additional in-room sources.
The second smaller meeting space, where Christie specialists can join MDT sessions hosted by other hospitals, contains two 65” Philips displays and a Poly VC system with PTZ camera. Two soundbars and ceiling microphones provide meeting participants with optimum audio quality.
An AMX touch panel offers room control, and Barco Clickshare buttons deliver simple content sharing from the participant laptops.
The final room, initially intended for internal meetings, holds up to 8 people. During the design consultation phase, Pure AV introduced the Crestron Mercury as a way to offer simple, cost-effective web conferencing.
As a result, staff now consult routinely with overseas-based experts, operating their preferred conferencing platform directly from their laptops while utilising the in-room hardware to enhance sound and image quality. Used additionally to conduct interviews, it has enabled the Christie to extend its search for the best candidates across the world.
Through the use of the MDT rooms, the Christie can offer patients from across the UK access to the pioneering proton beam treatment. The facilities enable the vital ongoing communication between the hospital, referring institutions and the clinical experts throughout the treatment process.
In each of the Meeting rooms, the technology connects dispersed participants, enabling a productive working environment, regardless of location. This provides the users with flexibility for a wide range of remote meeting types and content.
Content and meeting management is simple. Touch-screen control panels and the addition of wireless presentation capabilities ensure a seamless experience for room participants. While large-format, high-resolution displays and highquality audio systems support crystal clear communication.