Work on a new specialist treatment centre in Durham – funded by Assura – commenced today as the Chief Executive of City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, Ken Bremner, cut the first turf.
The two-storey diagnostic and treatment centre, which is due to open in Spring 2018, has been designed to give people across Durham easier access to key services such as renal dialysis, ophthalmology and day surgery. The project has been developed by City Hospitals Sunderland in partnership with Ashley House PLC.
The purpose built health care hub will increase the services and choice available to patients in the Durham area and give them access to specialist services without the need to travel to Sunderland Royal Hospital or Sunderland Eye Infirmary.
The Trust will move the services it currently provides through hospitals, GP practices and health centres across Durham, and house them all within the new centre. In addition to the new dialysis unit, there will also be a daycase theatre, recovery area, outpatient procedure room, consultation rooms and X-ray facilities.
The building will increase the capacity of renal dialysis services currently offered in Durham by the Trust as well as expand Urology, Ophthalmology and Nephrology Services and ENT outpatient clinics. As a result, fewer patients will have to travel to Sunderland for treatment, removing pressure on other NHS services, increasing capacity for care and reducing patient waiting times.
Our Development Manager, Paul Warwick says: “This is 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, and in which diagnostic and treatment centres are fit for the job they need to do. We’re very proud to be funding this centre and look forward to seeing it take shape.”
The building, once complete, will be 2,500m2 and will be accessible to people across the city. The project will be delivered by our development partner Ashley House plc who engaged us as funders, architects P+HS and Durham- based Esh Build.
Ken Bremner, Chief Executive of City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I’m delighted that work has started on our new diagnostic and treatment centre. This facility will not only provide a range of key services in much closer proximity to Durham, but it will allow us to expand and improve those services for the benefit of many of our patients who currently have to travel to Sunderland to receive the care they need.”
Jonathan Holmes, Ashley House’s Commercial Director said: “As a social developer we have worked closely with the Trust and its clinicians to ensure we are delivering an innovative facility helping local people access the highest quality services closer to home. We are particularly pleased to be working with partners that share our values and ensure the local economy benefits from the construction as well as the health services into the future.”
Paul Redman, divisional director of Esh Build, said: “The Esh Build team is excited to begin work on this important new centre for Durham and the North East. The Diagnostic and Treatment Centre will provide cutting edge facilities that meet the demands of modern healthcare. Esh Build specialises in detailed, technical properties for the healthcare sector, and we look forward to delivering this centre for Ashley House PLC.”
Wayne Carr Director for City Hospitals Independent Commercial Enterprises LTD (CHoICE) “We are delighted to be project managing this exciting development on behalf of City Hospitals Sunderland. Our dedicated team will work closely with all parties to ensure a high quality, state of the art facility to deliver excellent patient care. With CHoICE Facilities Services’ commitment to service excellence, we are at the forefront of improving the value of NHS support services”.