Stratford Hospital receives its first patients

A NEW era for healthcare in Stratford-upon-Avon dawned this week as the town’s new state-of-the-art Cancer and Eye Hospital welcomed its first patients.

A phased opening of the £22million facility began yesterday, Monday when patients of the new Ophthalmology unit were admitted.

Cancer patients will begin to be treated in Stratford from 7th August, with the South Warwickshire NHS Trust confident the hospital will become a centre of excellence in cancer care.

An MRI scanner will be installed on the ground floor in the near future and an official ribbon cutting ceremony is set to mark the hospital’s official opening later in the year.

It has been a huge team effort to get to this point with the hospital’s hugely successful fundraising appeal capturing the public’s imagination.

In January the appeal reached its £1million target, money which has been used to fund added extras to make patients feel more comfortable and improve the health of residents in the area.

One such extra which has been funded are the hospital’s chemotherapy pods, where cancer patients can feel more comfortable whilst receiving often lengthy treatment.

Specialist eye examination equipment and a complimentary therapy room within the Rigby Unit, has also been installed thanks to the appeal.

The building will also house South Warwickshire’s first Health and Wellbeing Centre on the ground floor, which will act like a Citizens Advice Bureau for health issues.

More coverage in this week's Herald.