Multi-million pound investment in Wirral health initiatives (From Wirral Globe)

Multi-million pound investment in Wirral health initiatives

12:03pm Wednesday 16th January 2013 in News By Craig Manning

WIRRAL Clinical Commissioning Group has invested almost £3million on major projects designed to provide better quality of care and increased choice for patients.

A new Digital Breast Screening Service will be opened at St Catherine’s Hospital in Birkenhead, as an addition to the existing Wirral Breast Screening Unit at Clatterbridge Hospital. The service provides flexibility for people who cannot attend during normal office hours.

The funding will also see a new robotic surgical system will also be introduced at Wirral University Teaching Foundation NHS Trust.

The equipment will allow surgeons to perform extremely precise and delicate surgery through tiny incisions, using telescopes and instruments operated by hand and foot controls.

On the new Digital Breast Screening service Dr Phil Jennings, chair of Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "Advances in imaging equipment and image transmission mean that it is now much simpler to split the screening service across sites.

"Women now have a choice of two venues and can go to whichever is most convenient for them. In areas where there is a lower uptake of screening, such as Birkenhead, we will also be encouraging women to accept their screening invitation and to use this local facility.

"Most breast cancers are found at an early stage when there is a good chance of a successful recovery and we hope that the introduction of an additional service in Wirral will improve the early detection rate even further."

On the new robotic surgery system, Dr Abhi Mantgani, Wirral CCG’s clinical chief officer, said: "We are delighted that our recognition of the importance of this service to the patients of the Wirral and beyond, through our sustained investment all year has helped in allowing the Trust to buy this leading edge equipment.

"This equipment has been proved to help give better outcomes for patients. It is this type of partnership working and sustained investment which the new commissioning arrangements are all about.

"Wirral University Teaching Hospital Foundation NHS Trust aspires to provide the very best health service to the people of Wirral and beyond and the provision of leading edge technology is critical in this regard. We are delighted that the most advanced surgery can now be provided locally.

"Laparoscopic surgery is now established as the preferred treatment for many operations which historically were performed through large incisions.

"Procedures to be undertaken include removal of the prostate gland, gall bladder, hysterectomy and partial removal of the kidney.

"Laparoscopic procedures have become the procedure of choice for most patients with prostate cancer within Wirral Hospital University Foundation NHS Trust.

"The benefits include reduced blood loss and need for blood transfusion, reduced post-operative complications a shorter length of stay in hospital and a quicker recovery."