Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) invests in cardiology services, expanding facilities to provide two new cardiac catheterisation labs.
Hampshire Hospitals is improving the trust’s cardiac services as part of the ongoing commitment to provide outstanding care to the people of north and mid Hampshire.
The two new labs will replace the current lab and a temporary facility located in Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital. The trust appointed Studio Four Architects, TNG consultants and McPherson’s Quantity Surveyors to carry out a feasibility study. Working with the cardiac team, they followed this through to the current design. The trust then appointed Darwin Group Limited as the main contractor on the project.
The Cardiac Catheter Laboratory (Cath Lab) at HHFT is used to perform cardiac procedures which transform quality of life for many patients and are life saving for others. The demand for these services at HHFT has grown over the past few years and has resulted in a 22 per cent increase in the number of procedures the trust performs since 2012.
This expansion means the trust can continue to deliver safe, sustainable emergency and elective cardiac procedure services, and be there for the growing number of patients needing cardiac interventions. The increased capacity will allow the trust to provide curative treatments for abnormal heart rhythms currently undertaken in other hospitals, on the Basingstoke site and closer to patient’s homes, and will include a dedicated ambulance entrance to provide direct emergency access to the labs.
After receiving planning permission for the new build in August 2021, construction works started in September 2021. The modular build and equipment installation will be complete by September 2022 and fully operational in October 2022.
Dr Lara Alloway, chief medical officer at HHFT, said: “This is a very exciting development for the trust. Having two new cardiac catheterisation labs will support our staff to keep providing outstanding care to those who need us.”
Malcolm Ace, chief financial officer at HHFT, added: “As the population grows and the demand for our services continues to increase, we need to develop further in order to keep providing efficient and sustainable health services. This expansion of our cardiology services will allow us to meet current and future demand, so it will certainly make a difference to everyone. A huge thank you to all involved in making this project a reality.”
Charles Pierce, Managing Director of Darwin Group said: "As specialists in healthcare projects, we're delighted to be working with Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The modular build will provide additional testing space and extra patient accommodation to those who need it most."
