The Lyford Medical Day Care Unit will be moving to The Turner Centre adjacent to St. Michael’s Hospice in Basingstoke this weekend, as part of a wider plan to reconfigure space for services at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) – keeping patients out of acute sites and enabling the best response possible to winter pressures during ongoing COVID-19 activity.
Lyford is a nurse-run day care unit, providing treatment, investigative and therapeutic procedures and consultations to patients with a variety of long-term or prolonged conditions - including liver disease, crohns disease, chronic anaemia, haemachromatosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Originally located on F Floor at Basingstoke & North Hampshire Hospital, Lyford was relocated BMI Sarum Road, a private hospital in Winchester at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. These moves kept the most vulnerable patients out of the acute hospital sites as part of NHS England’s deal with private hospitals - enabling patients to continue to safely receive the treatment that they need.
Debbie Owens, sister at the Lyford Unit, said: “Our staff are extremely grateful for both BMI Sarum Road & St. Michael’s Hospice for offering us space to house our service.”
“Our patients have been reassured by not needing to enter an acute hospital during the pandemic and by being able to continue receiving their treatments which contribute so much to maintaining their health and quality of life.”
Iain Cameron, chief executive at St. Michael’s Hospice, comments: “Although we are a small charity, I believe we play a significant part in the local healthcare system, and right now that means working in partnership with Hampshire Hospitals to provide a safe place to care for local people. Working together is essential in the combat of COVID-19 and we are all committed to keeping the needs of patients at the centre to ensure all services continue.”
“I see this as a great opportunity for even more people to see the environment we provide, and learn more about our work, but most importantly to continue their treatment in the comfort of our outpatient facility.”
Julie Maskery, chief operating officer at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, adds: “The relocation of our Lyford Day Unit from BMI Sarum Road to St. Michael’s Hospice involves a large number of teams, across a range specialities and divisions - I would like to thank everyone involved in enabling these changes, ultimately ensuring the smooth, safe continuity of service for our patients.”
“This is a fantastic example of different areas of our local healthcare system working collaboratively and the hospice is making major operational sacrifices to help us care for some of our most vulnerable patients."
