Firstly I would like to say thank you for all the emails I have received following on from my first introductory column. I am pleased the local community is so interested in the health care provision in their area.
In this month’s column I said I would provide some information into the background of the new Johnson and what services run from it, which is something I have received a number of questions about.
The new Johnson design team incorporated both the architects and designers, as well as a mix of clinical staff, including myself, to ensure the building met the needs of the patients.
The new building was completed and opened to patients on schedule in June 2009 and was built as a replacement for two buildings in use at the time; the Welland Hospital on Roman Bank and the old Johnson Hospital on Priory Road.
Due to both of these buildings being of significant age and requiring substantial modernisation and improvements in order to be compliant with standards around care settings, the decision was taken to build a new hospital to house all of the services, with extra room to bring together further services under one roof.
The services rehoused into the new Johnson were 28 inpatient beds (now 32), offices for community-based staff, the Minor Injury Unit, outpatients department and outpatients therapy services and administrative staff.
In addition to four extra beds that opened in March 2010 on the Tulip Suite offering palliative care, the move to the new hospital gave us fully compliant single sex accommodation, larger and better inpatient accommodation with better facilities and equipment, and a more pleasant environment overall for staff and patients.
Our outpatient services have increased due to the extra space available and the old practice of having to move patients across site for x-ray has ceased as all those supportive services are now under the same roof.
As well as the services run by LCHS, there are also departments run by various other organisations to provide imaging, mental health, dentistry, ambulance, therapy and children’s services.
As ever, we are constantly looking at extending and improving the services on offer at the new Johnson by working alongside our neighbouring organisations to seek out opportunities that would benefit the local community.
In my next column I would like to talk more about the Outpatient service and the type of clinics are offered there, whilst discussing the impact that unattended appointments has on the service.
If you have any questions, please contact me by emailing spaldingeditor@jpress.co.uk