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Work begins on new specialist treatment centre in Durham

Ken Bremner, Chief Executive of City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, was on hand to officially launched the commencement of work on a new specialist treatment centre in Durham.

Due to open in Spring 2018, developed by City Hospitals Sunderland in partnership with Ashley House PLC, the two-storey diagnostic and treatment centre has been designed to give people across Durham easier access to key services such as renal dialysis, ophthalmology and day surgery.

The purpose built health care hub will increase the services and choice available to patients in the Durham area and give them access to specialist services without the need to travel to Sunderland Royal Hospital or Sunderland Eye Infirmary.

The Trust will move the services it currently provides through hospitals, GP practices and health centres across Durham, and house them all within the new centre. In addition to the new dialysis unit, there will also be a daycare theatre, recovery area, outpatient procedure room, consultation rooms and X-ray facilities.

The building will increase the capacity of renal dialysis services currently offered in Durham by the Trust as well as expand Urology, Ophthalmology and Nephrology Services and ENT outpatient clinics.

As a result, fewer patients will have to travel to Sunderland for treatment, removing pressure on other NHS services, increasing capacity for care and reducing patient waiting times.

Ken Bremner, Chief Executive of City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I’m delighted that work has started on our new diagnostic and treatment centre.

“This facility will not only provide a range of key services in much closer proximity to Durham, but it will allow us to expand and improve those services for the benefit of many of our patients who currently have to travel to Sunderland to receive the care they need.”

Jonathan Holmes, Ashley House’s Commercial Director said: “As a social developer we have worked closely with the Trust and its clinicians to ensure we are delivering an innovative facility helping local people access the highest quality services closer to home.

“We are particularly pleased to be working with partners that share our values and ensure the local economy benefits from the construction as well as the health services into the future.”

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