The first patients have been treated in Leighton Hospital’s new-look Treatment Centre.
The £23 million unit opened its doors yesterday (July 27), after the completion of a project that included 14 new critical care bays and eight operating theatres.
The redevelopment of the centre has also included a new surgical admissions lounge, new consulting and examination rooms and more single sex waiting areas.
Among aesthetic finishing touches are colour schemes for male and female areas, and ‘sky ceiling’ photo panels in waiting areas.
Bosses at Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (MCHFT) say the admissions lounge will become the central point of admission for all patients.
It consists of a mixed sex initial waiting area, two nurse consulting rooms, four male consulting rooms and three female consulting rooms.
The trust says new facilities will help provide treatment to an increased number of patients requiring endoscopy and bowel screening procedures.
Tracy Bullock, MCHFT chief executive, said: “I am immensely proud of the new facilities we’ve been able to provide here as they will enable us to further improve both the quality of care and overall hospital experience that our patients receive.
“The reopening of the treatment centre sees the culmination of many years’ of hard work for our staff and I thank them for all their dedication and commitment to this project.
“We continually look for ways in which we can improve our services and treatment environments, and this project ensures that we are able to offer state-of-the-art facilities for the benefit of both our patients and our staff.”
We are very lucky to have Leighton. I don’t mean they’re perfect, and I’ve had some small frustrations, but overall, the treatment my family and I have received has been magnificent. A pleasant hospital, caring staff and reasonable wait times, all for no cost. Most of the world would be very happy to have this on their doorstep.
I agree 100%. The NHS may not be perfect, but it is something this country should be proud of. The vast majority of people receive excellent care and support from the NHS and its staff – it would be nice if the media gave a little more coverage to the many positive things it does.