A brand-new purpose-built endoscopy unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) is preparing to welcome its first patients.
The £25m state-of-the-art unit, which has been built over the past 12 months and is one of the largest NHS schemes of its kind in the country, will provide more appointments for patients and reduce waiting lists.
Connected to the main hospital building, the unit houses eight procedure rooms and private pods for patients before and after their procedures, each with an en-suite.
Patient Pod
Endoscopy is an important non-surgical procedure to look inside the body to screen, diagnose and treat medical conditions. There are many types of endoscopies that view different organs.
The Endoscopy team at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs BRI, already provides a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to thousands of patients every year and this new facility will help patients to be seen sooner in a purpose-built environment.
In response to growing demand, the new unit will help ensure patients are seen more promptly, enabling quicker access to the next steps in their planned care.
Consultant Gastroenterologist Sarah Jowett
Consultant Gastroenterologist and Clinical Lead for Endoscopy, Sarah Jowett, said:
Our team is thrilled with the new unit and looking forward to welcoming our first patients in the next week or so. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in this project for making it a reality.
The unit is linked to the main hospital for inpatients but also allows outpatients to access the unit from the outside. It has been designed to allow separation of these patient pathways should there be a need in the future, such as another pandemic.
And to enhance patient privacy and dignity there are individualised ensuite rooms for before and after the procedures, and additional endoscopy rooms have been added to the design to increase our capacity and reduce waiting times.
Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer at the Trust, Saj Azeb, said:
The new unit looks fantastic. It has been designed specifically to meet the needs of our patients providing us with more capacity and a much-improved environment to provide the best possible care and service to our patients.
It’s just one of several exciting multi-million-pound developments taking place across our hospital sites. We’re investing in our estate to make Bradford Teaching Hospitals fit for the future with new advancements in patient care and an overall better experience for our patients and colleagues.
The unit was designed and built by main contractor Robertson Construction. Throughout construction, Robertson ensured that the project delivered social and economic benefits that saw over £13m in social value generated from over 70% of spend with the local supply chain, 27 apprentices hosted on-site and 44 local people employed on the project.
Treatment Room
Elliot Robertson, Chief Executive Officer, Robertson Group, said:
Drawing on our experience of working in live healthcare environments, we have designed and built this cutting-edge facility to the highest quality to uphold the Trust’s vision. It was important that, throughout the process, we also delivered targeted local benefits that added long-term value to the community beyond the new unit itself.
Maximising patient and staff experience, privacy and operational efficiency was central to this project, and we will carry this forward as we continue to support the Trust in enhancing its estate.
- Bradford-born artist David Hockney inspired the unit’s interior colour palette, while the exterior is clad in aluminium panels and full-height glazing.
- The two-storey unit incorporates a range of sustainable features to reduce running costs and carbon emissions. These include energy-efficient LED lighting, a high-quality building management system and photovoltaic panels on the roof. Newly planted greenspace areas also support biodiversity net gain and 99.79% of construction waste was diverted from landfill.
Corridor
Here Consultant Gastroenterologist and Clinical Lead for Endoscopy, Sarah Jowett explains the importance of the new unit, the services it provides and how it will deliver even better care and experience for patients and an improved working environment for staff: