Stepping Hill new £20m medical and surgical centre

A new £20 million medical and surgical centre was officially opened at Stepping Hill Hospital last week.

Leaders from partner organisations in Greater Manchester and Stockport joined staff at an event to celebrate the benefits the new building at Stepping Hill will bring to patients across South-East Greater Manchester with expert specialist surgery.

The new centre will house over 120 beds for patients, replacing facilities in old wards. The hospital has around 800 beds in total.

It will also include four new operating theatres, three of which replace old theatres, bringing the hospital’s total from 17 to 18. This will support Stepping Hill Hospital’s new status as one of four specialist centres in Greater Manchester for emergency and high risk abdominal surgery. More than 30,000 operations a year are carried out on the hospital site.

The acute medical ward in the new centre will look after 13,000 patients a year. A new primary care receiving unit for patients referred by their GP will also open which is designed to reduce pressure on the hospital’s A&E.

Jon Rouse, Chief Officer at Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, who attended the opening, said:
“This new medical and surgical centre will mean that services at Stepping Hill are fit for the future and meeting the needs of patients in Stockport and the wider Greater Manchester area.”

“Devolution across the region is presenting significant opportunities to implement new and bold ideas. The challenge is to continually improve the standards and quality of care for all 2.8million residents.”

Gillian Easson, Chairman for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Stepping Hill Hospital, said,  “The new centre will make a real difference to the patient experience, provide an excellent environment for staff to work in, and enhance our services for the future.”

Executive Councillor for Health Tom McGee said “It’s fantastic that our new surgical centre will make a huge difference to the treatment patients receive and enhance local services.

“From April 2017 onwards the centre will be a hub for patients who need emergency and high risk general surgery across the South-East of our region – specialist care in Stockport will be contributing to the ambitious Healthier Together target to save 300 lives a year.

“Bringing specialist staff together and providing additional capacity at Stepping Hill will mean improved outcomes and the sharing of professional expertise which will ensure Stockport is continues to be a centre of regional surgical excellence.”