The Trust has plans to transform its buildings and facilities to ensure they are fit for 21st Century healthcare.  The Trust is in a changing world; financially it is tougher and the NHS is changing to provide more services out in the community and closer to the patients home. The Trust knows it is going to see more specialist care; primary care and self care are going to be bigger and tertiary work will more than likely increase, with secondary care becoming smaller. What this might mean for the Trust is that more secondary care will be provided in different community settings and the actual Derriford building will be used differently.

Taking all of this into account, the Trust has had to look at its capital investment programme in a completely different way, whilst making sure that it is prioritising the services that are going to be of an immediate benefit to its patients.

At the Trust Board meeting in March 2011, the Board agreed the capital investment prorgamme for 2011/12 which will see £12 million invested in 2011/12 in a number of capital projects. Below are more details about what is happening. 

Theatres

One of the biggest projects this year will be the refurbishment of our theatres, including upgrading the air handling at a cost of several million pounds. This is essential as the theatres have changed very little since the hospital was built.

Relocation of services from the Royal Eye Infirmary

The Trust is looking at the relocation for eye services from their current location in Mutley Plain to Derriford. This is about providing the excellent services the Trust already has at the Royal Eye Infirmary in a modern hospital. There is a lot of pride in the Royal Eye Infirmary and the Trust wants to maintain its identity, whilst integrating it into Derriford Hospital. The Trust is working very closely with staff, patients and the Royal Eye Infirmary League of Friends to ensure this happens. The proposal is to relocate eye services to Level 3 of Derriford Hospital and it is anticipated that work will start later this year, although this is subject to plans being approved.

Investing in Cancer Treatments

As part of our ongoing commitment to improving the quality of care offered to patients and developing services for cancer and neurosurgical patients, the plan was to replace three radiotherapy machines. The Trust has already replaced one in the 2010/11 financial year and the installation of the next new treatment machine is a priority for patients needing radiotherapy in this financial year. In addition, the Trust has invested in a £200,000, advanced high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy radiation machine, for the treatment of gynaecology patients.

The Trust has invested £1 million in the latest Digital Breast Screening technology and refurbished the Primrose Breast Care Unit.  Additionally, the Trust has invested significantly in the community for breast screening at the Guildhall in Plymouth to provide an improved environment with easier access.

Preliminary Feasibility Study into re-provision of Isolation Facilities

Feasibility work is underway to explore the potential to re-provide better facilities for those patients needing stem cell treatment.   

Other projects include:

• £1 million replacement of medical equipment, for instance blood pressure machines and ultrasound
• Remedial building works, including engineering and electrical
• Improvements in IT systems, including bar coded wristbands and blood tracking.

Projects still under review

The Gateway Programme (the main entrance) 

The main entrance is the facilitator to the urgent care pathway. However, what the Trust needs to determine first is the space requirements for urgent care. At the moment, the Trust is undertaking work to look at how the urgent care pathway works, between the emergency department, clinical decisions unit (CDU), medical assessment unit (MAU) and the surgical assessment unit (SAU). This will enable the Trust to see how they work as they are now, if they could be reorganised within their current space or whether they would need to move into the space currently occupied by the main entrance on Level 6.

This is one of the crucial factors determining the need for a new main entrance. If it is deemed that the urgent care needs to move within this space, then a new main entrance would be required. However, this will not happen within this financial year (2011/12).

Children's Hospital 

As with the work required for the urgent care pathway, more work needs to be undertaken to look at children's services to see how they work as they are now, if they could be reorganised within their current space or whether they would need to move into a purpose built space.

 

By the Autumn, the Trust will have its five year plan and will be able to provide more detail on the provision of future developments.