Improvements to our estate
We are working to improve our estate to ensure that patients are being treated in safe and modern surroundings.
The CQC found that waiting times between referrals and treatment, and the time it took to admit, treat, and discharge patients were not in line with national standards.
Since then, we have completed schemes to make our inpatient environments better, with new buildings and equipment. These will help our staff to see patients more quickly and in more appropriate surroundings, improving their experience.
The Estates sprint of our Foundations for the Future programme has now begun, with senior oversight from managers and regular reviews in place to ensure that estates issues are resolved quickly.
Boladele Oso, Senior Project Manager in Capital Projects, said: "The projects we are delivering mean that our staff and patients have access to state-of-the-art equipment and modern facilities. These will improve the environment for our patients and give them a better experience, while helping our clinical teams to deliver the best possible care."
We opened our fourth catheter lab at the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre and are in the process of replacing a 22-year-old MRI at Basildon Hospital. The project includes creating a patient waiting area, an assisted patients changing facility, and three bed-holding bays that will improve patients’ dignity.
For our diagnostics equipment, x-ray equipment has also been replaced with brand new machines, which will provide better-quality images and faster diagnosis, allowing us to see patients more quickly.
We have replaced mammograms at each of our hospitals. There are two new machines at Basildon Hospital, a new mammography room at Southend, while we will also refurbish a mammography room at Broomfield Hospital. This new equipment will help us to treat those patients who have been waiting the longest.