State of the Art
Facilities for Blackpool Hospital
A new hospital director has unveiled major investment plans, including buying a new £1m MRI scanner for Blackpool, £500,000 of upgrades to theatre equipment and creating 15 new jobs
Tracy Jackson has just taken over the reins at Spire Fylde Coast Hospital in Blackpool, where more than 100 consultants and 145 staff treat patients in a wide range of specialties from orthopaedics to ophthalmology.
She set out her mission to continue increasing capacity and services to cater for growing demand – particularly from self-funded patients fed up of NHS waiting lists.
The facility will launch a six-bed General Medical Admissions unit in January, where people will be able to recuperate with expert medical support, a private room and tailored catering, after having surgery either privately or on the NHS. In addition, there will also be a new MRI scanner as well as up to £500,000 worth of upgrades to theatre equipment.
Over the past two years, £1.2m has been invested on equipment, infrastructure, and refurbishment of patient areas, including upgrades to a ward, bedrooms and patient waiting areas. As a result, the hospital has increased its capacity to 6,000 patients having surgery each year, a 12 per cent growth on 2018.
Another major investment in the last year has been the introduction of a £100,000 sophisticated spinal microscope. This has allowed the hospital to provide quick access to pain relieving and life changing spinal surgery for hundreds more patients across Lancashire and Cumbria.
“I am delighted to take up the post here,” said Tracy Jackson. “One of the things that sets Spire apart is the commitment to investing in equipment and staff and making sure we are offering the best possible service for patients.”
“The whole benefit in coming into a private hospital is the speed of access to services. Generally, patients can be seen by a consultant within a few days and have their surgical treatment within two to four weeks – not all patients want treatment that quickly but it’s important to have the choice.”
Ms Jackson comes to Blackpool with many years of experience in improving patient pathways through healthcare. A mother-of-two, originally from Dublin, she moved to England full time in 2001 having graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in Psychology.
“We have an excellent and really engaged senior management team, they are real doers, and so we are looking at how we can harness our wider staff team to come up with really good ideas to continually improve the patient experience.”
Revealing plans for the new six-bed General Medical Admissions ward she said: “We have beds here that private patients can use if they have had surgery here or on the NHS and are surgically fit to go home but want extra support for a few more days. Similarly, many medical treatments like IV infusions that would normally be done at an NHS hospital ward can be done here.
To find out more about Spire Fylde Coast Hospital visit: www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-fylde-coast-hospital
Spire Fylde Coast Hospital
St. Walburgas Road, Blackpool FY3 8BP
01253 394188
www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-fylde-coast-hospital
