| Welcome to Blueprint | | Despite the focus of national political news being very much on the economy and a new prime minister, we have continued to press our case for investment.
We are also continuing essential work across our estate to ensure our buildings and services are compliant with clinical standards. Many of our buildings and infrastructure are way past their best and so we work hard to keep our sites safe.
Our outdated environment has not, however, halted our ambition to innovate and provide the very best care for our patients. In this issue you’ll hear about our robot-assisted surgery and the creation of a new interventional radiology suite which add to the range of services we offer that are normally only available in much larger hospitals.
We will also include details of the new integrated urgent care hub at St Albans City Hospital as well as news about the community diagnostics centre there which is set to open in 2024. | | |
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New interventional radiology suite moves from ambition to reality
Raise – our hospital charity – is doing brilliantly with its first major appeal. Generous donations from the Watford League of Friends and another generous charitable trust, along with hospital bosses scaling the Three Peaks, a cycle challenge and axe throwing fun, means they are 94% of the way towards the £695k appeal target for a ‘super scanner’. With this fantastic result plans for the new interventional radiology (IR) suite are taking shape!
An area for the brand new super scanner on level 2 of the acute admissions unit (AAU) at Watford General will be refurbished to become our interventional radiology suite along with an ultrasound guided treatment room and anaesthetic area. There will be a five bed area for patients recovering from IR procedures which will free up ward space and reduce the need for patients to be moved around the hospital after their IR procedure.
As our current 750 IR procedures grow to over 1000 per year, the suite will improve the range of work which can be carried out at Watford whilst allowing our theatres and fluoroscopy services to offer freed-up capacity to other patients.
Interventional radiology procedures are minimally invasive, image-guided medical treatments. Procedures are done using real-time imaging techniques, including X-rays and ultrasound, to guide the operator. This can offer a quicker and safer alternative to many types of traditional open surgery such as removing tumours and blood clots, resulting in better outcomes for patients and shorter stays in hospital.
Adults and children with complex conditions in our community will no longer need to travel to London and other hospitals far from home to receive their treatment. Instead, they can be cared for right here in west Hertfordshire.
The creation of this suite would not have been possible without the fundraisers and IR team driving it forward. The IR suite is set to open summer 2023. We will bring you news as the project progresses.
You can find out more about the interventional radiology suite in this short video of Dr Zamir and Dr Patel discussing the huge benefits it will offer.
And if you can help move the appeal to 100% then please visit the Raise website to see how to donate.
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New recovery room marks progress in theatre reconfiguration project
Whilst we remain firmly focused on a new hospital on land next to our current buildings, this work is urgently required to make sure that the hospital’s main theatres (and procedure room) are fully compliant with modern space and ventilation standards.
The reconfiguration of our main theatres facility is transforming Level 6 in the Princess of Michael of Kent (PMoK) building at Watford General Hospital. We recently marked a major milestone as a new recovery room opened its doors.
The next step will be the opening of a new theatre later this year. The £7m theatre reconfiguration includes a reception area and the creation of new corridors and staircases which have linked the new areas together. Staff are thrilled that the project has also included new changing rooms plus a wellbeing and relaxation area for the team.
When the reconfiguration is complete there will be five fully functional theatres equipped for a variety of surgical specialties, including robotic assisted surgery. There will also be a procedure room for less complex surgery.
Space for the project has been made by the movement of staff from PMoK to Willow House, into offices left vacant by colleagues who are now working from new premises in Trade City on Thomas Sawyer Way.
Read more this month’s theatres press release.
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New integrated urgent care hub opens at St Albans
The service, which is now open, is for patients from St Albans and the surrounding area who need same day urgent care for health concerns that need prompt attention but aren’t life threatening.
The hub will work alongside other NHS services to increase access to same day care and take pressure off busy emergency departments and GP practices.
The hub is not a walk-in facility. When patients call their GP or contact NHS 111 with an urgent health issue, they may be offered an appointment on the same day at the new Integrated Urgent Care Hub.
This new minor illness and injuries service will offer appointments between 9am and 6pm, seven days a week and will provide access to diagnostic services, including mostly x-rays. The service is being run by HUC, who also provide the local NHS 111 service.
You can read more about the hub here.
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New robot surgical era transforming hospital care
A new way of carrying out surgery is bringing huge benefits including speedier recovery for patients and access to game-changing equipment for surgeons and theatre staff.
We are the first NHS trust in the country to install two Versius robots to assist with surgical operations. The state-of-the-art robots (created by CMR Surgical) made their debut in July and are being used to perform colorectal and urology surgery. Expanding the robot-assisted surgery to treat upper gastrointestinal and gynaecology patients is in the making as further teams are trained and come on board in the coming months.
Performing robotic-assisted surgery brings major benefits to patients including reduced post-operative pain and a faster recovery which leads to earlier discharge from hospital.
Matthew Coats, our chief executive, said: "This has been a huge achievement. Advances in digital technology and robotics within the operating theatre are resulting in better surgical outcomes. We are proud of our innovative and forward-thinking surgical team - their hard work has paid off and our patients are benefitting from this advanced technology. We are thrilled to be at the forefront of this work and our reputation for our pioneering approach is resulting in a notable increase in the volume and calibre of applicants to join our surgical team."
Read our press release to see what our first patient to have robot-assisted surgery had to say. You can also watch a short video about this new way of working here.
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Tune in for a redevelopment update
The next St Albans and Harpenden Patients’ Group Zoom meeting (which is also for patients from London Colney, Redbourn, Sandridge and Wheathampstead) invites Louise Halfpenny, our director of communications here at the trust, to present the future developments for our hospitals in St Albans and Hemel Hempstead.
All patients and residents are welcome to attend the Zoom meeting and will have the opportunity to ask questions. Please join the Zoom meeting 7-8pm on Tuesday 15 November 2023 at this link.
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Designs commence for new community diagnostics centre
Last month we told you about important funding for a community diagnostics centre at St Albans City Hospital. Designs for the centre are now being drawn up with a view to refurbishment of the Runcie Wing to start next year.
The next phase of our plans will see the development of a community diagnostics centre at Hemel Hempstead Hospital. The investment for this underlines the important role that St Albans and Hemel Hempstead hospitals play in our three hospital model for the future.
Find out more in our press release here.
The above image is for illustrative purposes only.
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| Catch up with redevelopment news | Blueprint - You can read past editions of the Blueprint newsletter on our website under ‘newsletters’. Share the news and get your colleagues and friends to subscribe by emailing westherts.redevelopment@nhs.net
A-Z information sheet - This document addresses frequently asked questions and the main themes from our engagement and redevelopment programme. It will be updated regularly and we will provide details of where information has been added or amended. | |
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