Changes afoot as St Mary’s Hospital improvements works begin

Our multi-million pound Investing in Our Future programme to improve the Island’s NHS services is about to begin.

From Monday 31 October 2022, work starts on the programme that will see extensive refurbishment and expansion of the emergency services floor and Intensive Care Unit as well as the reconfiguration of our acute wards. A new mental health and community hub will also be created in Newport High Street.

While efforts are being made to minimise any disruption, the scale of the programme – the biggest investment we have made in a generation – means some impact on visitors is inevitable including temporary changes to parking and access to the main entrance as well as new arrangements for blood tests (phlebotomy) and some ultrasound patients.

Acting chief executive Dr Nikki Turner said:

“The £30.4m investment at St Mary’s Hospital and in our mental health community services will improve patient care and health outcomes. The new facilities will help to reduce waiting times and bed occupancy and transform the community and mental health services on the Island.

It is fantastic news for the community but delivering these improvements while maintaining our services will mean there will be some temporary changes to the way we operate.

We have however planned these changes carefully to minimise the impact on staff and patients and we hope the community agrees that any short-term inconvenience will be offset by the many benefits this project will bring.”

The main changes are as follows

Main entrance

From mid-November, there will be hoardings at the main entrance so that the emergency department (ED) improvement work can be undertaken safely. The main entrance and ED entrance will still be accessible but via a new temporary pedestrian crossing.

Signage will direct people from the car park and surrounding area and volunteers will be on hand to direct and support people if needed in the first few weeks.

The drop-off area, disabled spaces and the taxi drop-off point currently outside the front entrance will all move to the front section of the main car park nearest the hospital. Disabled spaces currently outside the emergency department will also be moved to the main car park.

Families or carers dropping off patients are asked to vacate the drop-off spaces promptly to enable access for other patients and to liaise with the patient or the department to arrange a time to collect them.

Phlebotomy (blood testing services)

From Monday 31 October 2022 to enable reconfiguration works to start on our acute wards and improve the Intensive Care Unit, the Phlebotomy department – currently located on level B – will move to a temporary location in the North Hospital.

Anyone using these services should park in the North Car Park and use the North Hospital entrance where signage will guide them to the department.

The temporary relocation will mean that the blood testing department will have reduced waiting room and blood testing capacity. Routine and non-urgent blood tests should continue to be carried out by the patient’s GP surgery wherever possible. More information about where to get your blood test can be found on our website.

Ultrasound services

Some ultrasound appointments will be carried out in a new dedicated area within the North Hospital site. Anyone referred for an ultrasound should check their appointment letter to see whether they should attend the existing site on level A or the new location in North Hospital. Those attending the North Hospital should use the North car park and use North Hospital entrance and follow signage.

Other hospital services

In mid-November, two-way traffic lights will be in place along the road used for access to the Renal, Stoma, Ear Nose and Throat, Audiology, the Education Centre and mortuary services. Anyone using this route should allow slightly more time to get to their appointment.

Intensive Care Unit

The Intensive Care Unit will move temporarily to the Coronary Care Unit as it did during the pandemic. The move will be signposted but patients and families will be kept informed directly by the department as required.

Download a copy of the new department location site maps.

St Mary’s Hospital blood test department relocating begins

The blood test department at St Mary’s Hospital will be relocating from Monday 31 October 2022 from its current location on Level B to the North Hospital.

The temporary relocation is part of a wider programme of work that will see £38m of improvements made to our Trust that will improve the quality of the Island’s NHS services.

To ensure the smooth transfer of this department to its temporary location, all blood testing at the current phlebotomy department on Level B at St Mary’s will stop at 11am on Friday 28 October 2022 and resume on Monday 31 October 2022 at 7.30am, in the new North Hospital location.

If patients do need to attend hospital it is recommended that they use the North Car Park, which is signposted from the main entrance to St Mary’s. Drop-off spaces and disabled parking are available at this location.

The temporary relocation will mean that the blood testing department will have reduced waiting room and blood testing capacity. Routine and non-urgent blood tests should continue to be carried out by the patient’s GP surgery wherever possible. More information about where to get your blood test can be found on our website.

This investment programme of work, called Investing in Our Future, will improve patient care and health outcomes, reduce waiting times and bed occupancy, and transform the community and mental health services on the Island. If you would like more information in the meantime, you can find out more in our news story

Green light for major investment in the Island’s NHS

A once-in-a-generation capital investment in our NHS services is about to begin on the Isle of Wight.

Work to improve patient care and outcomes, reduce waiting times and bed occupancy, and transform community mental health provision on the Island will start in November.

Funding for building plans drawn up as part of our Investing in Our Future (IOF) programme has been approved by the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England.

Nikki Turner, Acting Chief Executive said:

“This is great news for our NHS and our community. Investment on this scale means that we can make a real difference to the way services are provided now and lay strong foundations for the future of health and care on the Isle of Wight.”

Maggie MacIsaac, Chief Executive of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, commented:

“This investment will make a real difference to the care of patients and service users on the Isle of Wight. The local NHS is working ever closer with partners to ensure island residents have access to the best possible care and this funding will be fundamental to supporting this, safeguarding the sustainability of services as we head into winter.”

Health Minister Lord Markham said:

“Improving care for patients is one of our top priorities and this funding will transform NHS services for thousands of local residents on the Isle of Wight.

Creating a new mental health and community hub in Newport and modernising St Mary’s Hospital means patients can benefit from state-of-the-art new facilities and more convenient care closer to home.

This will help us bust the Covid backlogs and speed up treatment and diagnoses times.”

Bob Seely MP said:

“I am delighted to see the money we campaigned for has arrived and building work can start. This will result in improvements in a range of services that will benefit Islanders for years to come. I would like to thank everyone on the Island who worked on this bid, including the former Chief Executive of the IW NHS Trust Maggie Oldham. It was a pleasure to support the project and to make sure Ministers understood its importance to the Island.”

Building work starts in early November on a £23.7m upgrade of St Mary’s Hospital. It will create a new Emergency Care Floor, reconfigure wards, and deliver a new High Dependency Unit to improve the flow of patients through the hospital and improve the patient experience.

A new £6.7m mental health and community hub will be built in Newport bringing health and care services together with the community and voluntary sectors, much closer to people’s homes.

These building projects follow a £10m investment in additional beds at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, ensuring that any Islander who needs inpatient care on the mainland can access it.

Included in the IOF programme is a £12.5m investment in digital infrastructure and technology, currently awaiting regulatory approval. This will further support improvements to patient and staff experience.

Our IOF programme launched following a UK Government announcement of £48m million to improve NHS services through investment in infrastructure. It will bring the total capital investment to the Island’s NHS to £75m over four years.

Pam Fenna, Chairman of our Trust’s Patient Council, said:

“It is fantastic that this funding has been approved and we hope it helps hard-working staff to continue to improve local NHS services. We look forward to hearing more about the detailed plans and working with the Trust to maximise the benefits this investment will bring to the Isle of Wight community.”

We are also set to welcome further investment after the UK Government announced 1 of the 10 new Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) will be built on the St Mary’s site.

The centre will mean greater access to diagnostic tests for Islanders, reducing waiting times and improving outcomes.