Work to build a brand new £7 million Endoscopy Suite at Harrogate District Hospital is now underway – and patients, visitors and staff are being asked to bear in mind that this will lead to the temporary closure of a main corridor for a few months to allow construction to take place.
The works will provide a much improved environment for patients and staff, with a total of five procedure rooms, separate changing facilities and dedicated admissions and discharge rooms where the clinical teams can discuss the procedure with patients in private. The department has been designed to provide capacity to meet the anticipated future needs of the local population.
Endoscopy is the term that is used to describe the direct visual examination of any part of the inside of the body that can be reached through a natural orifice. Patients are usually referred by their GP with symptoms such as indigestion, change in bowel habits, weight loss, anaemia and passing blood through the rectum. During an endoscopy, the inside of the body is examined using a thin, flexible tube that has a video camera at one end. This is known as an endoscope.
The new unit is being built as a modular construction above the Maxillofacial Department. It will be connected into the existing hospital at First Floor level in the region of the glass tunnel located between ITU/HDU and the Pre Assessment Unit. Locating the unit in this area provides good access to main theatres as well at the Outpatients Department, Sterile Services and the front entrance of the hospital.
This means that the corridor area along the glass tunnel on the First Floor will be closed to allow for works to take place. It will close from 7.30am on Saturday 14 October until early in 2018.
The location of the corridor closure will means that patients, visitors and staff moving from the front of the hospital to Abbey Wing, Strayside Wing and PAAU will have to do so using the ground floor corridor.
Signage explaining what is happening and the diversion routes to take are being put up in the hospital just before the works begin.
Lorraine Dyson, Endoscopy Suite Manager, said: “While the corridor is closed a number of important construction activities will take place, including the installation of structural steelwork, the delivery and installation of the modular buildings that form the new Endoscopy Suite, the installation of new mechanical and electrical services to feed the new department and the rebuilding of the corridor to form the new entrance to the Endoscopy Suite.
“All wards and departments will have received an update about the works, and colleagues in key areas such as the Main Entrance know where to direct people if they need help.
“The work means the Ground Floor main corridor in the hospital is busier than usual. Thank you in advance to everyone for your understanding. This work is absolutely necessary to create a new Endoscopy Suite for the benefit of our patients for many years into the future.”
The current Endoscopy Suite is continuing to function in its current location on the hospital’s Ground Floor throughout the duration of the build, therefore there should be no impact on patient care.