Annual Report 2006/07 - Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital

Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust Annual Report 2006/07
Capital Developments
The hospital landscape has changed a great
deal over the past year – out went the
landmark chimney when steam boilers were
replaced with a new energy centre to supply
steam for the laundry, though far more went
up than came down!
opening of the Centre for Women’s Health –
the new home for Gynaecology, Maternity and
Neonatal services transferring across from
Heavitree to Wonford. Covering 9,000 square
feet, the Centre includes an atrium entrance with
café and a range of rooms for labour, examination,
assessment, recovery and counselling. There
are en-suite bathroom facilities for patients and
parents with babies in the Neonatal Unit, theatres,
a water-birth pool, a conservatory rest room and
deliver high-quality healthcare services for women
and children.
Patient power lies at the very heart of
the RD&E’s new Diabetes, Endocrinology and
Vascular Health Centre which serves patients
across Exeter, East and Mid Devon and is one of
the UK’s leading diabetes facilities. There are
very few centres where the whole gambit of
specialist care, including research and
education, are under one roof.
the lungs can also be examined (bronchoscopy) as
can the urinary bladder (cystoscopy). As well as
diagnosis, various
treatments can be
given via endoscopes,
without
the need for open
surgery.
The project is due
for completion
by October
2007, and two
new consultant
gastroenterologists
have already been recruited, as well as 12 nurses,
and several support and administrative staff, to
The additional capacity will result in all patients
in the urgent category receiving an appointment
for their examination within two weeks and all
other appointments being arranged within six
weeks. It will also improve the detection of
bowel cancer, with diagnosis being achieved at
an earlier stage. The team also plans to have
bowel cancer screening available, subject to
national approval,
within the year.
“We hope that this
all-encompassing centre will support
diabetes care for every patient in our
locality wherever they are, and
whatever problems they have.”
DR KENNETH MACLEOD,
CONSULTANT PHYSICIAN
(DIABETES AND ENDOCRINOLOGY)
The new state-of-the-art Centre for
Women’s Health.
This new centre is better equipped to not only
help medical management of the condition and
its complications but also to empower patients
The team can now offer an even more responsive
service for patients with acute or complex
challenges, including non-healing foot ulcers,
disorders of limb circulation with risk of
amputation, visual loss and kidney problems that
can lead to kidney failure.
Local diabetes charity DIRECT raised £200,000
towards the overall project cost and has an
An expansion of the Endoscopy Unit is
currently under way, with plans to increase
the number of procedure rooms from two
to four. Endoscopy is the examination of
telescope (‘gastroscopy’ being the term used
for investigation of the upper digestive tract
and ‘colonoscopy’ being the investigation of
conditions of the rectum). In a similar manner
The day-to-day work of the Intensive
Treatment and High Dependency Units has
continued, with building work to expand the bed
capacity going on around them. By increasing
the number of beds to 15 this should reduce, if
not eliminate, cancellation of elective cases,
promptly and admit high-care surgical cases.
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