At UBC Hospital investments have increased its capacity for higher acuity patients and more complex procedures.

As part of the OR renewal project, UBC Hospital has opened new and improved in-patient units, designed to support patient-centered care, including a new high acuity unit to support more complex scheduled surgical cases and sicker patients.

These improvements will allow more scheduled surgeries to be moved to UBC Hospital, allowing VGH to focus on emergency and trauma surgeries.

This will result in fewer cancellations and will reduce patient wait times for non-urgent procedures.

New eight-bed High Acuity Unit at UBC Hospital to support more complex surgical cases and sicker patients.

VGH’s current operating rooms were designed in 1979. Health care has evolved since then, and just like you wouldn’t want to use a 40-year-old cordless phone, these ORs simply weren’t designed for today’s technology and standard of care.

16 new optimally sized operating rooms have been built, each containing:

• State-of-the-art surgical equipment to support minimally invasive technology, wireless technology, electronic health records and digital X-ray equipment.
• High ceilings to mount lights, monitors and three articulating booms, increasing available floor space to improve flow and reduce clutter.
• A shared sterile core between procedural zones to maximize efficiencies for cleaning instruments and reducing turnover times.
• Common features so that each room can host any type of surgery, with extra space to accommodate additional equipment as needed.

In a future phase of development, additional space will be renovated to create a total of 30 operating rooms: a 30% increase.

Operating room in the Phil and Jennie Gaglardi Surgical Centre at Vancouver General Hospital.

Renovations includes a new 40-bed perioperative care unit. This combines pre-op and post-op recovery areas for more efficient care and a better patient experience to aid recovery.

Grateful Patient, Andrew Cho in recovery

November 2016: Hybrid OR opens

The new hybrid operating room at VGH brings imagery equipment right into the operating room, allowing surgeons to order additional imagery in the middle of surgery, reducing the need to transport patients in and out of radiology. This optimizes surgical procedure times and patient safety.

Image courtesy of Vancouver Coastal Health.

Spring 2017 – Spring 2018: Staff planning sessions for new operating room layouts

VGH OR physicians, nurses, and pre and post op staff worked together through several dollhouse sessions to help design the layout of the new universal operating rooms.

By using scale models of the new rooms and 3D printed equipment, staff collaborated on possible layouts.

Surgical nurses proved especially insightful, as they set up operating rooms, and unlike surgeons, they move throughout the room during surgeries.

Following the dollhouse sessions, life-size mock-up sessions were held where physicians and staff put their recommendations to the test to determine whether they can work safely and efficiently in a wide range of surgical scenarios.

Kelly-Anne Karse, Head Nurse of the VGH OR Control Desk, holds 3D-printed equipment pieces used during an OR dollhouse design session. Image courtesy of Vancouver Coastal Health.

Summer 2017: Spiritual Care Space and Leon Judah Blackmore Centre for Sleep Disorders open at UBC Hospital

The completion of both of these spaces marked phase one of the UBC Hospital redevelopment, creating additional space to be utilized in phase two.

UBC Hospital’s new Sacred Space offers a safe, serene and welcoming place for anyone seeking peace of mind and spiritual healing.

The new space is readily accessible for all within steps of the front entrance. Natural light fills the room through floor-to-ceiling windows with a garden view.

Specially designed for spiritual care, the larger space also features enhanced ventilation to accommodate ceremonies involving incense and smudging.

The Leon Judah Blackmore Centre for Sleep Disorders includes nine patient beds that can be used day or night, allowing for 24-hour use. With dedicated rooms for patients care and research, the work that goes on here will be providing people with a key aspect of a healthy life – a good night’s sleep.

“This expanded facility will allow us to see more patients with complex sleep disorders that require accurate diagnosis and treatment,” says Dr. John Fleetham, Medical Co-director of the UBC Hospital Sleep Disorders Program. “We will be able to improve the lives of British Columbians. Good sleep, in addition to good diet and exercise, are the fundamentals to good health. Poor sleep and sleep disorders lead to an impaired quality of life and reduced life expectancy.”

Leon Judah Blackmore Centre for Sleep Disorders at UBC Hospital serves as a clinic by day and sleep lab by night

Fall 2018: Demolition Begins at VGH as Part of the OR Renewal Project

Demolition began in Fall 2018 to prepare for the OR renewal project at VGH. Part of the planning process included ensuring minimal patient disruption during this potentially noisy time.

October 2018: CAMU opens at UBC Hospital

The Complex Activation Medical Unit (CAMU) cares for patients recovering from conditions that require extra support. These patients benefit from an in-patient unit that includes both medical and rehabilitation therapy support to enhance recovery and allow them to safely return home or to community care.

An in-patient room at the Complex Medical Activation Unit at UBC Hospital.

Spring 2019: Construction begins for VGH OR Renewal

Building 16 new ORs, a 40-bed perioperative care unit, and supporting infrastructure is a big job. Construction has been carefully planned to have minimum impact on current surgeries and patient care.

Members of the Gaglardi family tour the construction site that will become the Phil & Jennie Gaglardi Surgical Centre with VCH and Foundation staff members.

Summer 2019: UBC Hospital Surgical In-patient Unit opens

This enhanced and expanded in-patient unit is designed to better support patient-centered care. It includes an eight-bed High Acuity Unit that will allow UBC Hospital to support more complex surgical cases and sicker patients.

New eight-bed High Acuity Unit at UBC Hospital to support more complex surgical cases and sicker patients.

January 2020: Prototype OR Completed

In January, VCH surgical staff were able to tour the first completed OR. This fully-equipped prototype provided the opportunity to make further recommendations to ensure an optimized and universal layout for each room. This improved workflow will create faster turn-around times between surgeries and safer spaces for both staff and patients.

OR 25 is the first prototype OR completed at the Phil Jennie Gaglardi Surgical Centre. Image provided by Vancouver Coastal Health.

Reducing our Carbon Footprint

A physician-led environmental initiative will reduce the carbon footprint of surgeries by implementing a system to re-capture anesthetic gas, reducing the surgical programs carbon footprint.

July 2020: Perioperative Care Unit construction complete

The new Perioperative  Care Unit (PCU) will have 40 universal, pre and post-operative patient bays including a negative pressure isolation room. Walls with sliding doors featuring e-glass instead of curtains between bays provide improved infection control, acoustics and patient privacy.

Watch the tour of the new space.

Construction continues on the third floor under the latest COVID-19 guidelines.

Fall 2020

Patient bed capacity at UBC Hospital scheduled to increase.

February 2021 – Staff training and orientation begins

VGH surgical staff attended orientations, training and simulations in advance of welcoming the first patient into the new space.

Summer 2021: Phil & Jennie Gaglardi Surgical Centre opens

Years of planning and support from donors came to full fruition when VGH opened all 16 new operating rooms and a 40-bed perioperative care unit, newly named the Phil & Jennie Gaglardi Surgical Centre. This exciting milestone completes Phase 1 of the OR Renewal Project.

2021 and Beyond: Future Phase of Development

Renovations of existing ORs will create a total of 30 state-of-the-art ORs: a 30% increase.