NHS ‘masterplan’ unveiled for area
EXPANDED theatres, revamped wards and significant new hospital buildings will all be part of a £326m plan to transform NHS buildings in Northumberland and North Tyneside.
The Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust has revealed its five-year “masterplan” and laid out schemes including new maternity and endoscopy units at Hexham General Hospital, revamps at North Tyneside and Wansbeck hospitals, and the rebuilt £30m hospital in Berwick.
The Trust has also just completed work on an £8m medical sterilisation facility on the site of the Northumbria Specialist and Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington, and plans for a £25m health education hub there are also going through the planning process.
Upgrade work has already begun at North Tyneside and Wansbeck hospitals, with ward refurbishments seeing an increased number of single rooms, single bays, and en-suites created.
Both the new Berwick Hospital and the sterilisation centre at NSECH are carbon-neutral developments.
At Hexham, the new maternity and endoscopy units will be joined by expanded surgical theatres – which will help the Trust to tackle the lengthy NHS backlog of elective procedures that has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In October, there were more than 26,000 people waiting for treatment at the Trust – though 87.7% of those had been waiting less than the 18 week target.
Sir James Mackey, the Trust’s chief exec, said: “The continuing high level of patient care provided to our patients, despite the unprecedented pressures since March 2020, is of course down to the incredible efforts of our staff, who constantly have patients’ best interests at heart despite the ever-mounting pressure on the NHS.
“However, to do their jobs to the best of their ability and to ensure
patients have the best experience possible, we need to ensure our hospitals and other sites, as well as the facilities within them, match the aspirations we have for our healthcare provision.”
Sir James added it was “vital” to also improve facilities for staff in order to safeguard their wellbeing.
He said: “Our people have to be looked after, as great staff experience leads to great patient experience and that has been a driver of our strategy for many years.”
The Trust highlighted that its “community promise” ensured using regional and local contractors in the construction work, while other investments include in artificial intelligence and robotics to help clinicians with their work.