Treatment Centre (TC)

In September 2002 the Trust were advised that their £5.6 million bid to the Department of Health was successful.  The bid covered a group of schemes, collectively known as the Treatment Centre (TC).  The creation of the TC is essentially a response to the government’s target of reducing the time patients wait for operations.  Particular focus will be given to:

• Cataract extraction
• Hip and knee replacement

A key element of the TC is a two-storey extension at the rear of the existing Day Surgery Unit, comprising two additional operating theatres at ground level, and a full ophthalmic outpatient clinic on the first floor.  Due for completion by December 2003, this purpose-built unit will bring all the eye services under one roof.  By creating two theatres used predominantly for eye surgery - until such a time the cataract waiting list has been significantly reduced - with an adjacent cataract assessment unit on the ground floor, the hospital will be able to carry out 2,000 additional cataract operations per year. These procedures are normally day surgery operations, with patients admitted, operated on, and discharged within four hours.

Once completed the TC will be used not only by West Suffolk Hospital’s NHS Trust, but also by neighbouring trusts in the delivery of patient services.

Start date: 24^th February 2003

Finish date: 2nd February 2004

Contractor: Barnes Construction

Project Value: £3 million

Point of contact: Steve Moore on ext. 3973 or Terry Robertson on ext. 3651

 Education Centre

The launch of the Cambridge Graduate Course in Medicine at West Suffolk Hospital in 2001 provided the impetus for the Trust’s new Education Centre.  Created by converting and extending the former Drummond Centre, the Education Centre will provide the facilities for educating and training all staff in the Trust in a centralised location on the West Suffolk Hospital site. Facilities incorporated within Phase One of the Education Centre include:

• Postgraduate Centre
• Meeting rooms
• Library and IT Resource Centre
• Lecture Theatre
• University of Cambridge Graduate Course in Medicine
• Suffolk College, School of Health Nurse Education
• Clinical Skills training
• General training
• Research and Development Office

The co-location of these services will enable joint working and multidisciplinary education and training, while the space formerly used for these purposes in the main hospital will be re-utilised to enhance clinical service provision. The first phase of the project is completed and should be fully operational by 17 February.

The second phase of the Education Centre project will consist of a state-of-the-art 185–seat lecture theatre, which will be completed when funding is available. This will provide a facility that is currently lacking in Bury St Edmunds, and which is intended should be made available to the local community as well as healthcare staff within West Suffolk.

Start date: June 2002

Finish date: 17th January 2003 (phase 1)

Contractor: Barnes Construction

Project Value: £1.7 million

Point of contact: Steve Moore on ext. 3793

  Medical Equipment Store

Bulk equipment storage on the site is currently a major problem.  Every ward and department within the hospital possess equipment, which is either used very rarely or is available in case of an emergency or breakdown.  Many wards and departments are cluttered with such equipment, which can be a health and safety risk as well as making the hospital look extremely untidy.  A storage building is therefore proposed, large enough to house all such equipment in a state that it can be readily withdrawn and used.  This new store must be in close proximity to the main hospital building, with access for electrically driven road tugs (allowing easy movement of heavy and bulky items).  The location being proposed for this building currently houses a number of corrugated steel sheds, and a redundant generator building complete with external fully bunded bulk oil tank.  The construction of such a store would therefore not only fill a much needed gap in hospital facilities, but would also tidy up an area which is currently somewhat neglected.

Start date: June 2003

Finish date: September 2003

Contractor: V A Marriott

Project Value: £150,000

Point of contact: Sue Vincent on ext. 3359

 Car Parking Extensions

Since the early 1970’s the population that the Trust serves has nearly doubled (170,000 to 280,000).  As you can imagine, a larger population means more patients (and therefore the need for more beds), more staff (to cope with the increase in patient numbers) and a consequent need for more parking spaces.  Presently there are around 1000 parking spaces within the site (an increase of nearly 300 from 1974), however, this still does not appear to be enough to cope with the current demand. 

On 6^th February St Edmundsbury Borough Council’s Planning Committee gave the go-ahead for the Trust to build an extra 250 car parking spaces on the hospital site.  The extra spaces are part of the Trust’s efforts to find a solution to the parking issue and alleviate the problem of having too many cars on site.

The Trust will continue to work with St Edmundsbury District Council to look at ways to solve the long-term parking problem.

Start date: May 2003

Finish date: 18th August 2003

Contractor: Brookes and Wood

Project Value: £600,000

Point of contact: Steve Moore on ext. 3793

(Last update: June23 2003)