Northampton General Hospital: A coordinated, resilient power upgrade supporting theatres, neonatal units and continuity of critical care

Northampton General Hospital partnered with Bender UK to strengthen critical power resilience across its orthopaedic theatres, recovery areas and neonatal unit. Through a tailored upgrade programme, the Trust modernised ageing electrical infrastructure, improving patient safety, continuity of care and long-term operational resilience.

Highlights

• Upgraded critical power infrastructure across theatres and neonatal care areas
• Replaced ageing Isolated Power Systems (IPS) with modern Bender technology
• Installed eight new 10kVA IPS panels with advanced monitoring capabilities
• Enabled remote monitoring and diagnostics with Bender Pulse™
• Improved fault detection, visibility and maintenance planning
• Added equipotential bonding to enhance electrical safety in patient areas
• Completed works around clinical operations to minimise disruption
• Strengthened long-term resilience for critical healthcare environments

Problem

As part of a wider programme to strengthen electrical resilience, Northampton General Hospital needed to modernise ageing critical power infrastructure across some of its most sensitive clinical environments.

Supporting a busy surgical programme, the Trust relied on electrical systems that remained operational but required replacement to support long-term reliability and resilience. Any failure within the medical IT power supply could pose a risk to patient safety, disrupt surgical services and place additional pressure on hospital operations.

Building on previous investments in UPS infrastructure and backup power provision, the Trust required a solution that would strengthen resilience at the point of care, helping protect continuity across operating theatres, recovery areas and neonatal services.

Challenge

Northampton General Hospital needed to modernise critical power infrastructure across its orthopaedic theatres, recovery areas, day surgery ward and neonatal unit, while maintaining uniterrupted power to essential clinical services.

The project involved replacing ageing medical IT (IPS) systems in live healthcare environments where continuity of power is critical to patient safety. This was particularly important in the Gosset Ward neonatal unit, which supports vulnerable and premature babies and required continuous power throughout the upgrade works.

With clinical areas remaining operational, the Trust faced the challenge of delivering a major infrastructure upgrade around surgical schedules and day-to-day hospital activity, while minimising disruption to patients and healthcare teams.

Solution

Bender UK was selected to support those aims through a turnkey scheme, bringing together specification, supply, installation and specialist coordination. Its healthcare expertise, technical knowledge and installation support gave the Trust a single project management route, backed by an experienced electrical contractor familiar with the site, protocols and clinical constraints.

Bender Pulse™ remote monitoring was enabled through additional trip and insulation monitoring devices, a Bender COM465 ethernet gateway and 5G modem connection, providing real-time reporting and remote diagnostic capabilities.

Within Manfield Orthopaedic Theatres, recovery areas and the day surgery ward, Bender UK replaced eight existing IPS panels with eight new floor-standing Bender 10kVA panels, each configured with EDS earth fault location, MCBs and individual circuit trip monitoring.

The IPS systems were integrated with theatre annunciation and connected monitoring, supported by Comtraxx® CP305 alarm panels, COM465 gateways and secure remote connectivity for real-time monitoring and fault diagnostics.

The upgrade also addressed the need for equipotential bonding across the clinical areas. Bender UK installed new equipotential bonding busbars and associated infrastructure, adding an important protective measure around the clinical spaces served. Within Manfield Orthopaedic Theatres, recovery areas and the day surgery ward, Bender UK replaced eight existing IPS panels with eight new floor-standing Bender 10kVA panels, each configured with EDS earth fault location, MCBs and individual circuit trip monitoring.

The IPS systems were integrated with theatre annunciation and connected monitoring, supported by Comtraxx® CP305 alarm panels, COM465 gateways and secure remote connectivity for real-time monitoring and fault diagnostics. The upgrade also addressed the need for equipotential bonding across the clinical areas. Bender UK installed new equipotential bonding busbars and associated infrastructure, adding an important protective measure around the clinical spaces served.

Outcome

The latest theatre and neonatal upgrades form part of a wider, layered resilience strategy developed by the Trust over several years. Together, the centralised backup systems, local GRP-based solutions, refurbished plant rooms and upgraded IPS installations provide both upstream protection and localised system security for critical areas.

The new infrastructure delivers enhanced visibility, remote diagnostics and improved fault identification capabilities. The new transformers emit less heat than the legacy equipment and no longer require cooling fans, removing a known single point of failure. Working flexibly with the Trust, Bender largely completed works out of hours to avoid disruption to clinical teams, patients and hospital operations.

The result is a modern, resilient, future-proof and fit-for-purpose approach to critical power management, supporting the Trust's goal of identifying risk earlier, planning maintenance more effectively and protecting patients and essential clinical environments.