An operating theatre is a vital component of the healthcare environment requiring careful planning and design to support surgical procedures effectively. Theatres must be meticulously designed to help create smooth workflows for staff, ensure critical medications and consumables are readily accessible, and maintain the highest standards for cleaning and infection control.
Before the Procedure: Critical Preparation
Before a patient even enters the operating theatre, the preparation room plays a crucial role in ensuring efficiency and readiness. Staff must be able to locate everything they need quickly, from essential drugs to specialised instruments, minimising delays and disruptions. Utilising organised shelving, labelled compartments, and easily accessible storage solutions allows the staff to maximise available time to focus on patient care rather than searching for supplies.
Anaesthetic Rooms become a hub of activity where staff prepare vital medication and equipment before a procedure. They are often quite tight for space when occupied with the patient bed and attendant staff, so therefore efficient storage equipment is essential to help the room function properly.
Some Hospitals choose mobile cabinets for under-worktop storage, which can be moved over to the patient bed if space allows. This option is also sometimes favoured by Infection Control teams because they can also be simply moved out of the way for deep cleaning helping to maintain a sterile environment.
It’s crucial that anaesthetic staff have immediate, organised access to the equipment and medications they need. The Systeméd bench-mounted anaesthetic cabinet is designed with this in mind, featuring a flat-screen roller shutter door for improved cleanability and infection control. Designed to be mounted above a worktop, it keeps vital items at eye level and within reach, while it’s thin glass shelves inside provide maximum space for highly effective storage, keeping supplies visible and accessible.
Cabinets with glass doors are very beneficial in the preparation stage as they allow staff to visually confirm stock levels and locate essential items without needing to open multiple units. This speeds up workflow, limits unnecessary contact and helps maintain hygiene standards.
In busy moments before a procedure, Anaesthetic rooms can become crowded with staff, equipment, and the patient bed. In smaller rooms where space is tight, sliding doors and tambour doors offer a practical solution by eliminating the need for door swing clearance, allowing staff to access supplies without obstruction, whereas a cabinet with hinged doors may be difficult to open with staff standing nearby and conflicting with the space needed for the door swing. When hinged doors are used, these should ideally be less than 500mm wide to keep the door swing arc to a minimum and fitted with 270° hinges so that the door can be opened flat back against the adjoining cabinets. Choosing storage solutions that open neatly without getting in the way helps staff prepare smoothly and safely.
Having secure, immediate access to controlled medications is vital in the moments leading up to a procedure. The Royal College of Anaesthetists outlines best practices for storing drugs safely in anaesthetic areas in this official guidance document, which supports the use of secure, clearly organised storage systems close to the point of care.
Controlled drug safes are normally mounted independently on the wall, providing both secure and convenient access without the restriction of being located inside another cupboard. By keeping these independent from other storage units, staff can access medications quickly without navigating additional doors or compartments. Choosing Systeméd Modular sized controlled drugs cabinets allows for flush fronted units and continuous sloping tops – ideal for maintaining infection control standards and creating a clutter-free prep area.
During the Procedure: Efficiency, Space and Speed
During a procedure, the operating theatre becomes a high-pressure environment where every second counts, and several professionals must work in harmony without obstruction. Clutter and poor storage can block movement, delay procedures and increase contamination risks.
Staff need to retrieve small tools efficiently while supporting sterile techniques and the Systeméd swing glide drawer is especially useful for small parts storage and to help keep worktops clear to maintain easier cleaning.
During a surgical procedure, quick access to a wide range of consumables and medical stock is essential to keep things running smoothly. Tall HTM71 storage units provide enormous capacity for consumables and medical stock and offer a distinct advantage to help keep essential supplies organised and off the floor, minimising clutter. Tall and wall cabinets are typically supplied with sloping tops or boxed directly to the ceiling, ensuring no dust collects and every inch of vertical space is utilised.
Designing for efficiency in this vital space is not just a nice-to-have, it’s essential.
Tambour doors offer increased flexibility and add an extra layer of efficiency by being able to stay open throughout the day for easy access and then locking away supplies when the Theatres are not in use. This is not only simple but a powerful design that helps reduce delays, improve focus, and ultimately lead to better patient outcomes.
Another standout option is the Systeméd aluminium-framed glass door cabinet; smart, hard-wearing, and ideal for high-use environments. These cabinets feature 270° opening HTM71 hinges and secure locks, providing excellent visibility, reliable access, and enhanced security. In a fast-paced surgical setting, this means staff can locate and retrieve items swiftly without compromising on hygiene or safety, making them a good choice for any modern operating theatre.
After the Procedure: Cleanliness & Infection Control
After surgery, cleanliness and infection control are paramount as all surfaces and storage units must be easy to clean and disinfected thoroughly. Wall-mounted glass door cabinets support staff as the smooth glass panels are easy to spray and wipe down, and because they’re elevated, staff don’t need to bend or reach awkwardly to clean underneath, while mobile storage units can be easily moved to allow full access to the floor and walls behind them – saving staff time and effort during thorough cleaning routines.
The Systeméd product range is designed with post-op cleaning in mind. For example, the bench-mounted anaesthetic cabinet with its flat-screen roller shutter door ensures smooth, wipeable surfaces that resists build-up of pathogens. There are no awkward joins or handles to trap dirt, making it easy for staff to clean between cases.
Want to experience these storage solutions first-hand?
Visit our London showroom to explore the full Systeméd range. Our team will be happy to walk you through the options and help you get it right first time for your clinical environment.
