Colchester Hospital plans to spend £7 million to improve and replace old facilities. If the planning application is approved, cardiac patients will get faster treatment in a more modern environment.
The planning application is to demolish the bed store to make room for a two-storey unit. This is between the main building and the restaurant block. The new building will be an Interventional Radiology and Cardiac Angiography (IRCA) Unit.
The development of a combined IRCA unit will mean quicker diagnosis for patients.
Professor Sankaran Chandrasekharan is clinical director for diagnostic imaging at Colchester Hospital. Sankaran said:
“Many patients with peripheral vascular disease and other major diseases like aortic aneurysms can be spared an open operation. Instead we can treat them using modern techniques of interventional radiology. This suite will provide an excellent place to do this. Many diagnostic investigations, such as ultrasound-guided biopsy, will be done here. This will help quicker diagnosis and planning of treatments.
“With the Heart Centre at Ipswich Hospital and the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre in Basildon, the new facility will ensure that local patients requiring cardiac procedures get care in the most appropriate setting for their condition. Both interventional radiology procedures and cardiac angiography procedures will be performed in this suite. The majority will be day cases.
“This suite will mean we’re able to treat our patients in a dedicated and fully-equipped unit.”
Staff on the unit will be able to carry out radiological procedures. These usually involve the insertion of a needle, cannula, catheter or wire into the patient. This type of minimally-invasive technique reduces the level of risk to the patient. This means they spend less time in hospital and can recover quicker.
The new unit will also be used for other treatments. These include MRI conditional pacemaker implants, injectable loop recorder implants and cardioversions.
The proposed IRCA unit will include three interventional rooms fitted with specialist x-ray equipment. There will be patient admission and recovery areas, and staff facilities. The first floor of the hospital is a more appropriate location, reducing the travel time to other departments. The existing interventional radiology facilities are in the Alpha Suite X-Ray department. Cardiac angiography is currently next to Elmstead Day Unit. Both services use similar angiography technologies.
Nick Chatten is ESNEFT’s acting Director of Estates and Facilities. Nick said:
“This is a much needed clinical facility bringing together two departments. The new unit will replace existing outdated buildings and equipment. This will lead to a more efficient service with accessibility for staff and patients.”
Use of the ground floor space of the unit has not yet been confirmed. Its location at the heart of the hospital makes it an important clinical area. As part of the ground floor redevelopment, the corridor between the main building and Constable Wing will be rebuilt.
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