Our latest building will open to patients during the NHS’ anniversary week – allowing thousands of patients in the North East to access specialist care closer to home.
The Durham Treatment Centre (DTC) building will welcome its first patients for urology and renal services from Monday (2nd July), and from August for ear, nose and throat, oral and maxillofacial surgery and ophthalmology services.
The state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment centre will provide a specialist hub for patients in the Durham area who have previously had to travel to Sunderland, Bishop Auckland, Shotley Bridge and Sacriston for their care. It will also see the Trust’s renal dialysis service move from its current premises in University Hospital of North Durham into the new, purpose-built environment.
The 2,500sqmfacility, funded by us, has been designed around the patient experience and contains multiple outpatient clinic and treatment rooms and a day-case theatre with recovery areas.
Services will include consultant and nurse-led outpatient clinics and day case surgery in a range of specialties from City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, including:
- Renal medicine – care for patients with a range of kidney disorders including a spacious new 16 station dialysis unit
- Urology – diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the urinary tract including kidneys, bladder and prostate / male reproductive organs.
- Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)– specialist care for adults and children with conditions of the ear, nose and throat including, rhinology (nose and sinus problems), otology (diseases of the ear) and endocrine (thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands).
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery - diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the mouth, jaws, face and neck, including a head and neck oncology clinic and a one stop biopsy service
- Ophthalmology – specialist care for the eyes.
Ken Bremner, Chief Executive of City Hospitals Sunderland and South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trusts said: “Our Durham Treatment Centre will improve the way that we provide services to patients in the local area and give them greater choice to access their treatment much closer to home. The building has been designed with patients firmly in mind and will provide a much better environment for those who are using our services regularly.”
The build was delivered in partnership with Assura PLC and Ashley House PLC who have overseen the project working closely with Newcastle-based architects P+HS and Durham-based Esh Build who both specialise in healthcare developments, as well as City Hospitals Sunderland Independent Commercial Enterprises Ltd (CHoICE) - a wholly-owned subsidiary of City Hospitals Sunderland Foundation Trust who will provide ongoing facilities management of the Durham Treatment Centre.
Our Development Manager, Paul Warwick, said: “Seeing this building taking shape has been hugely exciting and we look forward to seeing the first patients stepping through the doors. Ultimately, funding this project was about building for the NHS of the future – a future in which patients won’t always have to travel to hospital for tests and treatment.”
Wayne Carr, Director for City Hospitals Independent Commercial Enterprises LTD (CHoICE), said: “The new Durham Treatment Centre provides a first-class environment for local patients in Durham and we are very proud to have helped deliver such an important project. CHoICE Facilities Services now look forward to supporting the day-to-day running of the facility and giving the NHS the very best value in the support services we offer. Our dedicated teams will be working hard to ensure we maintain this fantastic building and to support frontline clinical and nursing teams to deliver the very best patient care and an excellent experience.”
Tony Walters, Chief Executive OF Ashley House PLC, added: “Ashley House is delighted to have been able to lead the development of this fantastic facility for City Hospitals Sunderland. To have local day surgery, renal dialysis, ophthalmology and other health services delivered locally from a stunning new building is a real benefit for local people. We are very appreciative of the partnering approach adopted by the Trust and their delivery arm City Hospitals Independent Commercial Enterprises Ltd (CHoICE) in making this happen. I should also like to thank our funding partners Assura, contractors Esh and architects P&HS for their work and support the development of this excellent new facility.”
Paul Redman, Divisional Director of Esh Construction, said: “We are very proud to have worked on the Durham Treatment Centre, which adds to the number of detailed, technical properties which we have specialised in for the healthcare sector. It was extremely important to us throughout the development that the centre provides purpose-built, high-quality and cutting-edge facilities which meet the demands seen in modern healthcare, though still having the flexibility for future growth. We can’t wait to hear the thoughts of patients when they begin making use of the services.”