l THE first section of the new diagnostic and treatment centre at Kidderminster Hospital is set to open next month. Shuttle/Times and News chief reporter ALEX DAY was given a tour of the revamped E Block by centre manager David Evans.

CHANGING the traditional NHS way of thinking is part of the operation being carried out on Kidderminster's controversial hospital.

And David Evans is sure to breathe a sigh of relief when the new minor injuries unit, outpatients area and primary care centre are up and running during the weekend of December 14.

Not only have he and contractors had to deal with several changes of design during development, he has been at the helm at a time when the embryonic diagnostic and treatment centre has been resented by many as a symbol of the changes which deprived Kidderminster of, among others, accident and emergency services.

Mr Evans took charge of the project in November 2000, shortly after the downgrading of the hospital as part of a county health shake-up and eight months before Dr Richard Taylor was elected to Parliament in protest at the changes.

However, while campaigners are adamant the fight goes on, Mr Evans is confident a glimpse of how the new centre works will be enough to convince many Kidderminster is becoming home to something special.

He believes the loss of emergency services has an upside - with every service on offer being elective. Easy planning, scheduling of operations and a fast and efficient service should become features of the new centre.

And with the centre a member of the NHS Elect scheme, along with two in London and one in the south west, Kidderminster clinicians will be coming up with practices and ideas which help shape national policy. They will share systems, methods of patient care and administration and will be able to market themselves as a group to primary care trusts.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust spokesman Richard Haynes said the centre was geared towards "transforming the patient experience".

"It will no longer be a case of people having to bend to the system. They will come in and be treated in a way that takes into account their needs and circumstances," he said.

This will include being able to "negotiate" a day and time for an operation, while in the forthcoming patient choice initiative, GPs will offer a patient needing certain operations a choice of where to go.

Mr Haynes said patients coming from other areas of the country would have the knock-on effect of bringing money into the trust.David Evans in the new atrium at the diagnostic and treatment centre.

The ground floor of the centre will boast a stone tile effect floor and fresh-looking atrium, which will use a clear roof to bring in natural light, said Mr Evans. It will also feature plasma screens and information points to help patients navigate the building.

Benched courtyards which were previously inaccessible will now be available to sit in.

As well as the outpatients area on the first floor, a new-look waiting area has been developed.

"We have changed current conventional thinking on waiting areas," Mr Evans added. There are four mini waiting areas serving several rooms, meaning fewer people will be waiting and patients scheduled accordingly.

Changes to the centre during development has seen an increase to four theatres - and have been fitted with an air exchange system, making them all safe to house orthopaedic operations.

Light and airy recovery rooms are geared towards speeding recuperation by improving a patient's state of mind.

Mr Evans explained: "Traditional recovery areas were for sick patients. They are well when they come here and are sick for a very short period of time - it's about getting them back to independence as quickly as possible."

A 28-bed short-stay ward will boast 24 en suite rooms with fitted furniture and a four-bed observation area.

The top floor of E Block will be for management and staff and will replace the existing postgraduate centre.

Sights on cataract op centre

THE relocation of X-ray services to Kidderminster Hospital's new diagnostic and treatment centre has been delayed.

Equipment was due to be in place this side of Christmas but is now expected towards the end of January.

"We wanted to give staff a big say in the decision-making process in terms of the X-ray equipment we put in," said manager David Evans.

"It took us longer than expected to get to a decision".

The digital system will be integrated with Worcestershire Royal Hospital. A new MRI scanner is due to be in place in March.

Opthalmology is due to be up and running at about the same time - and eyes are set to be an area Kidderminster could excel in.

Mr Evans said: "When we got extra money to put a fourth theatre in we decided we would like to move cataract surgery into the outpatient environment.

"It's a relatively quick procedure - you come in, have your treatment and go home."

A twin cataract suite will speed things up as it will be run by one surgeon, ensuring he or she spends more time conducting operations.

This will create the potential to carry out up to 7,000 cataract operations a year - and only 3,500 are currently carried out across the county, although Mr Evans was keen to stress Kidderminster will not take all of these on.

An innovative scheme which will allow people to book their car parking space for the duration of their operation will also be put into place.

Theatres and endoscopy are due to be open next month, while the second phase of the redevelopment will begin next March.

B Block, which will feature renal dialysis, and the Millbrook Suite, is expected to be open by autumn 2004.