University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) is improving facilities for patients at Furness General Hospital with a £450,000 investment in a new Pre-Operative Assessment Department.
In the Pre-Operative Assessment Department patients are seen by a nurse who goes through their medical history, completes the necessary forms, and gives them information about their surgery. The nurse also carries out any medical tests that are needed before the operation can take place.
The new Pre-Operative Assessment Department will have a staffed reception area and modern consultation and treatment rooms with easy access for wheelchairs.
Nicola Swindlehurst, Pre-Operative Assessment Manager, UHMBT says “The new Pre-Operative Assessment Department will make a huge difference to both patients and staff. At the moment, pre-operative assessment is done in two separate parts of the hospital. There is no reception in either location and sometimes patients are understandably unclear about where they should go. Also, neither of the old locations is up to modern standards or has good wheelchair access.
“In the new department, all the pre-operative staff will be in the same place, which will lead to more effective team working. It also means we will be able to see more patients, more quickly and also provide them with a better experience, in a much nicer environment – which is really important. We will have a department we can be very proud of.”
The project is part of a £19m investment programme that UHMBT is carrying out across its hospitals during 2018-2019. Improvements are being made to the Trust’s three main hospitals: Furness General Hospital, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and Westmorland General Hospital, and also within community services.
Foluke Ajayi, Chief Operating Officer, UHMBT says: “We want our patients and their families to have as good an experience as possible. This means improving our hospital buildings, as well as providing the best possible care we can. The work to the Pre-operative Assessment Department is one of a series of investments we are making in Furness General Hospital, which includes spending £1.4 million on the new Resuscitation Unit and Emergency Department, and a £1 million revamp of the X-Ray Department. This demonstrates that despite the difficult economic climate in the NHS we are committed to improving Furness General Hospital, and our other sites, to ensure that we offer better services and experiences for our patients and their families.”