Meeting Demand On The Fylde Coast
Spire Fylde Coast has always worked closely with the local NHS Trust to help deliver what is required by the local community writes Meena McDonald. Photography: Roger Moore
With patients struggling to see their GP, Spire Fylde Coast Hospital is experiencing a growing demand for patients wanting to either book into their Private GP service or book in for a diagnostic test or health screening.
There is also a growing demand for theatre space with NHS waiting lists increasing, so the hospital is trying to support the local Trust by increasing the number of patients they can operate on.
This is in conjunction with an increase from patients who have private medical insurance that are self-referring to see Consultants at the hospital, with some requiring surgery and others needing a procedure that can be carried out in an outpatient setting.
By creating a minor surgical room the hospital can pull out 1,000 procedures from main theatres into the new space and create more inpatient capacity in theatres to help increase the number of patients that can be treated in the hospital.
In the past year Spire Fylde Coast has invested £1.3 million in developing its facilities to deliver the services that the local community requires.
The recent opening of the outpatients procedure room which operates on a six day working week, sees many treatments being carried out for dermatology, orthopaedic injections and minor procedures, gynaecology and urology procedures, varicose veins and eye lift procedures.
Procedures are being added continually based on recommendations from Consultants and there are also new Consultants joining the existing team from Cumbria and Morecombe Bay to offer capacity to their private patients who live in the Lake District.
Tracy Jackson, Hospital Director at Spire Fylde Coast commented: “We are seeing a growing demand from patients contacting us to either book into our Private GP service where they can see a GP straight away, or for rapid access to diagnostic tests or health screenings, which can be carried out in the same week. We have a full range of diagnostic services from Digital mammography, MRI, CT, ultrasound and X-ray. There are a lot of patients whose lives have been on hold during Covid, as they were waiting for surgery to get back to work or to get back to their normal activities.”
Spire Fylde Coast offers a wide spectrum of procedures and have a number of Orthopaedic Consultants specialising in Upper and Lower Limb as well as Spinal Consultants. Gynaecology and General Surgery plus a number of Cardiac Specialists. They also have ENT, Gastro and Ophthalmologists on site, and a growing number of Dermatologists providing support for a range of different conditions.
With the investment in the past year, a new MRI scanner is now in use on site six days a week with a growing team of Radiographers. Their new Cardiac MRI scans complement the Echo and Cardiac stress tests at Fylde Coast and Cath Lab in Manchester for more complex cases.
Tracy, who is also a Trustee at the charity Blackpool Carers Centre concluded: “We have an absolutely fantastic team in the hospital who are dedicated to providing the best possible patient experience. Our Catering team recently won a Gold CAP award for the food they serve to patients and our Housekeeping team also won a Gold CAP award for the standards they keep in the hospital, which is reassuring to patients and staff working in a healthcare setting. It has been a tough couple of years for staff during the pandemic but I am extremely proud to work here. We are striving to grow and develop the hospital and work with the local Trust to provide the much needed services the community requires.”
Those individuals wishing to access private healthcare services also have the option of 0 per cent finance for a 12-month period through the hospital.
Spire Fylde Coast Hospital
St. Walburgas Road, Blackpool FY3 8BP
Main switchboard: 01253 394188
Self-pay treatment enquiries: 01253 308031
spirehealthcare.com/spire-fylde-coast-hospital/
