£300m hospitals open up new era of patient facilities and care

the new Pinderfields and Pontefract hospitals are now fully open, after the single largest investment in local healthcare since the NHS was first set up – £300m.

The first services opened in the hospitals in January last year and now all patients should benefit from vastly improved facilities.

Alongside the modern hospital in Dewsbury, the hope is that these new buildings will help transform local patient care.

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And to help patients find their way around the hospitals a number of maps have been produced

The chief executive of the health trust, Julia Squire, said: “We are delighted that both our new hospitals are now fully open and that our patients are benefiting from some of the best hospital facilities in the country. Our new hospitals have been carefully designed around patients, visitors and staff and offer greater comfort and the latest technology and equipment to provide the best possible care and experience.

“I want to thank our staff who have worked extremely hard to get us to this point and successfully managed the mammoth task of ensuring that our services and patients moved into our new hospitals smoothly.”

In the new hospitals, patients are benefiting from greater privacy and dignity, as around half of each general adult ward is made up of single rooms and half of bays of four beds, with ensuite facilities. The facilities also include brightly lit atriums, spacious waiting areas and treatment rooms, landscaped spaces, new technology to help speed up care and attractive views from bedsides.

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The new Pinderfields Hospital is providing comprehensive care for the most seriously ill patients across the Wakefield area. In addition new dedicated and purpose-built specialist centres for inpatient care are at Pinderfields Hospital for patients from North Kirklees and the Wakefield District.

The focus of the new Pontefract Hospital is on the majority of patients who are less seriously ill. The vast majority of patients will continue to receive their care from the new Pontefract Hospital with nine out of 10 people in Pontefract and the surrounding area continuing to get their treatment there.

NHS Wakefield’s chief executive, Alan Wittrick, said: “I’d like to pay tribute to all the staff who’ve been involved in the mammoth task of making the move from the old hospitals to the new.

‘‘It has been an amazing effort, and the culmination of years of planning and preparation.

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‘‘Along with the development of new and extended health services across the community, these fantastic new hospitals mean that local people really are getting healthcare fit for the twenty first century.”

The Labour MP for Morley and Outwood, Ed Balls, said: “People here in Wakefield deserve the best from our NHS, and that’s what they have at the new Pinderfields Hospital.

‘‘It’s a real success story, and I’m proud of everyone in my constituency who helped me fight for the funding and investment needed to make it happen.

‘‘I visited as the first patients arrived, and was delighted to see these fantastic state-of-the-art facilities and hear such positive feedback from staff.”

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Consultant paediatrician Dr Karen Stone added: “We want to ensure that children receive the best possible care, in a purpose built environment. The wards are far better than anything we have been able to provide for children at any of our hospitals before.

‘‘They have been specifically designed to meet the needs of children of different ages, with greatly improved facilities for parents or guardians to stay overnight in a bed next to their child. Children are being treated by the very best qualified and experienced staff, using the latest techniques and equipment.

“This is helping to speed up children’s recovery and reduce the amount of time they need to spend in hospital.”