The Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust will this week
(Friday) be welcoming HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, Countess of
Chester to officially open its new Haygarth Building.
The £15m wing at the rear of the hospital estate houses a flagship
21-bed intensive care unit - all single rooms, overnight relative
facilities, a modern endoscopy facility with world class
decontamination services and additional outpatient clinic
rooms.
The building has been named after John Haygarth an important 18th
century physician who spent the majority of his career working in
Chester. He was known as one of the best doctors of his time, after
discovering new ways to prevent the spread of fever among patients
and reduce the mortality rate of smallpox.
Following his death in 1827, a Haygarth medal was established for
the best nurse in the Chester Royal Infirmary Hospital. In the 30th
anniversary year of The Countess of Chester Hospital this tradition
of awarding the Haygarth Medal is being re-established to coincide
with the official opening of The Haygarth Building. On Friday, 12
September 2014 the medal will be presented by HRH The Duchess of
Cornwall, Countess of Chester to a member of nursing staff in
recognition of their outstanding contribution to patient
care.
At the same time HRH is unveiling a commemorative piece of
sculpture called 'Infinite Care'. This modern sculpture will remain
in the courtyard adjacent to the Haygarth building. It is based on
the concept of the circle of life, and features the words patients
have most commonly used throughout the 2014 anniversary year to
describe the care they have received from the nurses and doctors
working at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation
Trust.
Speaking about the event Trust Chief Executive Tony Chambers said:
"Having a Royal visit as part of a year of anniversary celebrations
at this hospital is hugely important. The prestige and memories
associated with events like this create a lasting impression for
both the NHS staff working here and the patients that we care for.
The opening of The Haygarth Building marks an exciting and new
chapter for the future of this hospital, as we can now provide some
of the most modern intensive care and endoscopy facilities anywhere
in the country. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase
what we have achieved and meet with the Duchess of Cornwall,
Countess of Chester."
Additional information about the Intensive Care
Unit
- The Countess has spent more than three years planning, developing and building the new wing which is at the rear of the Countess Health Park. Colleagues from finance and facilities have worked with more than 200 clinical and technical leads to get the design right and the services operational.
- The state of the art intensive care facility is a 21-bedded unit, where care is provided to all patients in single rooms. This includes three additional beds to support emergency vascular patients receiving care from the South Mersey Arterial Centre hub that is now based at The Countess.
- The new unit has a purpose built 100% side room facility. This will allow the critical care team to overcome a number of challenges with infection prevention and control, maintain privacy and dignity as well as prevent sleep deprivation and the associated effects this has on prolonging recovery following critical illness.
- There is also a relatives' suite which has been provided by the Countess staff and the people of Chester through local fundraising. This is a unique development within our network for adult critical care services and it means we are now able to provide a place for relatives to rest whilst they are experiencing one of the most traumatic events of their life.
Additional information about Endoscopy
- Endoscopy is a procedure that involves looking inside the body using an endoscope, for investigation and diagnosis of symptoms often related to the digestive system.
- Previously endoscopy services were provided in the Countess Jubilee Centre, the space was adequate but small. The new facility now has separate recovery areas for men and women which allow for a much more private and comfortable experience for our patients. In addition the rooms where clinicians carry out the endoscopy procedures are larger with equipment hanging from ceiling pendants.
New building fast facts from estates' experts
- It has used 214 tonnes of structural steel
- Approximately 50,000 bricks have been laid
- More than 150,000 metres of cable run throughout the building
- It has 151 timber doors
- Ceilings and flooring amount to 2800 square metres
- An estimated 2000 litres of paint have been used
- Actual 'man hours' spent building is in excess of 144,000 hours