Hospital services given top priority

7:29am Friday 7th December 2007

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ANDOVER hospital is to receive a major boost with the return of day surgery, a brand new gynaecology service and modern outpatient facilities - all within six months.

The new boss of Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust, Mr Martin Wakeley, said this week: "There is a realisation in Winchester that Andover is absolutely pivotal to the success of Winchester and Eastleigh hospitals.

"And if we don't make Andover a complete success then everybody will lose out, not just people in Andover but the people in Winchester."

In what he calls an acceleration of intention' Mr Wakeley is bringing changes forward without waiting for the whole clinical strategy plan for Andover War Memorial Hospital to be complete.

As part of that he intends to move the outpatients from its present location, which he calls a dump', to the main body of the hospital within six months.

"Rather than waiting for years to rebuild parts of the hospital, and given that we have so much vacant space, I think we do that sooner rather than later," said Mr Wakeley.

"I should have the feasibility study completed by Christmas. I will then start putting some investment in so that we can relocate outpatients in the modern facility."

Minor orthopaedic day surgery is also to be reintroduced from 14 January after a year's absence, and a diagnostic gynaecological day service (hysteroscopy) is being introduced for the first time, thanks to funding from the New River Club.

Mr Wakeley is also undertaking a feasibility study with Hampshire PCT with a view to bringing a mobile scanning service to Andover.

"I'm hoping that we can have a decision on that probably within the next six to eight weeks," he said.