IN-DEPTH: TRANSFORMING OUTPATIENTS
Artist’s impression: the proposed new entrance on Praed Street
LEADS THE WAY OUTPATIENTS ON TRANSFORMATION S 8 /Pulse
t Mary’s Hospital has sat at the heart of Paddington for over 150 years. Since it was opened in 1845 by HRH Prince Albert, it has also been the site of
many great moments, from Fleming’s discovery of penicillin to pioneering robotic surgery - and it’s even welcomed one or two royal babies into the world. But while the hospital’s care continues to progress, its buildings are showing the strains of age. Proposals for a new, purpose-built outpatient facility are set to be the start of a whole-site transformation. In September, over 230 people attended a public exhibition organised by the Trust to share plans for a new eight-storey building on the current site of Salton House, the Dumbell and the Victoria and Albert buildings. The proposed building will allow us to bring together the majority of outpatients and supporting diagnostics services at St Mary’s, currently provided from
40 separate locations. This includes all the services from the Jefferiss wing, Winston Churchill building and the main outpatients department. The proposed facility is being designed to improve the whole experience for patients, supporting their recovery and helping them to stay healthy. Michele Wheeler, director of redevelopment at the Trust, says: “The new building will enable new ways of working, allowing us to integrate care to meet individual needs – for example, many patients with diabetes also need to attend the foot clinic – we’ll be able to coordinate these clinics to avoid additional appointments and unnecessary delays.”
A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER Access will be improved with evening and weekend clinics and, where appropriate, phone and Skype consultations, combined with enhanced technology for appointment scheduling. When visiting, patients will be given real-time information throughout the
building, while an electronic check-in will sit conveniently alongside a café. There will also be space for research, teaching, and health and wellbeing sessions.
Michele adds: “It is important to us that the building itself is flexible, so clinic sizes can be changed to meet the needs of patients at St Mary’s as they change.
“It will also be a better place to work, with extra cycle parking and changing rooms downstairs, and staff hubs throughout. Purpose- built facilities will be more efficient to run and allow us to replace our old buildings that currently cost us significant amounts just to maintain.” All of this is due to take place as the wider Paddington area continues to undergo significant change, with the opening of Crossrail in 2018 and the proposed Paddington Quarter development on the old Post Office and Royal Mail site next to St Mary’s. The new building is intended to be the first phase of a wider ‘masterplan’
www.imperial.nhs.uk
CREDIT: FEILDEN CLEGG BRADLEY STUDIOS
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