THE Department of Health is to invest £2.7m to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of NHS services at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow.o

It is one of ten hospitals to benefit from the cash injection nationwide, which will be used to develop fast-track diagnosis and treatment centres.

The money, the first phase of the project, will be used to provide two day surgery theatres and an ophthalmology unit, both of which will be open in the new year.

The new centre, which will cost about £18m in all, will be developed alongside the main hospital building and once complete will provide day case and short-stay treatment with minor operations, medical interventions, outpatients, diagnostic facilities, pre-assessment clinics and paediatric assessment.

Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust chief executive Gary Belfield said: "The diagnostic and treatment centre will provide a new type of hospital care in line with the aims of the NHS Plan, helping us to hit our waiting list targets and ensuring real benefits for our patients in the future.

"The key to the new centre is that it will allow us to develop the services which meet the needs of patients on our waiting lists whilst not impacting on our ability to continue to care for emergency and urgent patients who come into the hospital via accident and emergency."

Harlow MP Bill Rammellsaid: "This latest funding boost is very good news for Harlow's health services. The announcement of £2.7m for health care improvements in the town is significant - it shows that substansial new money is coming into NHS frontline serivces."

August 20, 2002 10:00