More Newark patients treated closer to home as Sherwood Forest Hospitals expands day cases
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has increased the number of day case procedures it offers at Newark Hospital.
Minister Ward became a day case unit in 2014, providing medical and surgical procedures between 7am and 10pm Monday to Friday.
New procedures introduced at the unit include referrals from the Urgent Care Centre, also on the Newark Hospital site, for patients who need to be monitored by nurses and reviewed by doctors for suspected deep vein thrombosis, accidental overdose, mechanical falls and anaemia, along with outpatient care for conditions such as cellulitis (a serious skin infection).
These have been added to existing treatments such as blood transfusions and gastroenterology, osteoporosis and rheumatology infusions.
Patients will continue to be able to have certain vascular, dermatology, plastics, gynaecology, orthopaedic, podiatry, urology, breast and ophthalmology surgery and the team also run regular pain management clinics and IVT clinics, where ophthalmology patients are given eye injections.
Ant Rosevear, assistant chief operating officer for Newark Hospital says: “This is great news for patients, particularly those who live in the Newark area.
“We already offer a wide variety of operations and procedures but we hope to build on our successes at Minister Ward by expanding our day case services yet further.”
Yvonne Langford, 52, from Digby in Lincolnshire is a patient who is regularly treated on Minster Ward. She says: “I have Crohns Colitis with inflammatory mass, an inflammatory bowel disease, which was diagnosed 25 years ago. It can be very painful, which means I need to come into hospital for treatment every eight weeks to keep my symptoms under control.
“I am given an infusion of infliximab by a nurse, a drug which helps to prevent inflammation and relieves my symptoms. The staff on Minister Ward are wonderful, really friendly. Sometimes I’m sharing a room with five or six other patients of different ages and at various stages of the condition, so we can all have a good chat about it and support each other.
“I used to have to travel to King’s Mill Hospital in Sutton in Ashfield which meant a four-hour round trip. Now I have my treatment at Newark Hospital I only have a half hour journey each way door to door, which is great as one and a half hours after my treatment I really need to sleep. It means I can drive myself and get home before I need to rest.”
Patient Yvonne Langford receiving her treatment from sister Denise Davies on the Minister Ward at Newark Hospital, which is expanding the number of day case treatments it offers so patients can be treated closer to home.