UK Specialist Hospitals to Partner NHS South West

Press Release: 16/08/06 UK Specialist Hospitals (UKSH) is delighted to announce that it has today been selected as the preferred bidder by the Department of Health to deliver patient care in the NHS South West area through six UKSH surgical centres.

UKSH is a UK based healthcare company focussed on the delivery of high quality innovative care. This has been successfully demonstrated at the UKSH Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre which opened in July 2005 and has already delivered elective surgery and diagnostic procedures with very high levels of patient satisfaction. Following on from its achievements in Somerset, UKSH is proud to have now been selected to work in partnership with NHS South West. Jon Weiner, Chairman of UKSH said: ‘We are delighted to be working in partnership with the NHS in the South West as delivering healthcare in this part of the country has always been our ambition. This is a fantastic opportunity for UKSH to build on its successful track record and offers us the prospect of delivering the highest quality of clinical care throughout the South West. We will be investing a lot of time listening to what patients and GPs want in the locality and we will make every endeavour to deliver this. ’ UKSH will be offering patients a choice of treatment at six facilities in the area. As part of its commitment to significant investment in the South West, UKSH will be building state-of-the-art, new facilities at North Bristol and Devizes. The North Bristol Facility The modern North Bristol facility will be a brand new, private sector standard surgical treatment centre designed over three floors. It will provide inpatient and day case surgery and will be built north of Bristol with excellent transport links. The North Bristol facility will serve as a “hub” for all six UKSH centres. Devizes Treatment Centre This will be a new pristine day case surgical facility with two operating theatres, outpatient rooms and diagnostic facilities. Devizes will provide patients with a range of surgical specialties. The site will be close to the town centre with excellent transport links. As well as investing in the local area, UKSH is committed, in partnership with the NHS, to delivering local services to people, closer to their homes. UKSH will therefore be delivering the same levels of excellent clinical services from facilities at Cirencester, Lydney and South Bristol. Cirencester UKSH will provide day case surgery from the existing community hospital. Cirencester is a well equipped small hospital. It has one theatre and one endoscopy procedure room with outpatient rooms, diagnostics and inpatient beds. Lydney UKSH will provide day case surgery in the Lydney area. This will comprise of outpatient rooms, diagnostics and a range of surgical specialties. South Bristol Independent Sector Treatment Centre UKSH day case surgical services will be delivered at the new South Bristol Community Hospital to be built at Hengrove Park. The new hospital will be the centrepiece of Bristol City Council's regeneration project on the same site which is planned to include major new sports and leisure facilities as well as new homes. UKSH is excited to be a part of this development. Shepton Mallet Independent Sector Treatment Centre Shepton Mallet Treatment Centre is a successful, fully equipped stand alone surgical hospital and UKSH plans to extend the use of the Centre to more patients in the South West. The existing brand new building has four theatres and endoscopy room, 34 inpatient beds, eight outpatient rooms and diagnostics. Paul Whiteside CEO of UKSH said: ‘UKSH is delighted to have been selected to work in partnership with NHS South West. We are thoroughly committed to delivering the best possible patient experience at each of our Treatment Centres, continuously improving on the high levels of patient satisfaction we have achieved to date. The delivery of efficiency, innovation and clinical excellence is UKSH’s prime objective. We look forward to engaging with the broader health community in the area’ ENDS For more information please contact Nicky Bloom on 020 7601 1060 or Melanie Chiswell on 01249 858658 Notes to Editors: • UKSH’s first facility at Shepton Mallet opened in July 2005. It provides elective surgery and diagnostic procedures for NHS patients referred by six local Primary Care Trusts. • UKSH believes it is the only independent sector provider to have delivered a major surgical hospital on time (within a 42 week build programme at Shepton Mallet). The building programme for North Bristol is expected to be 52 weeks and for Devizes 32 weeks. • As three of the six sites already exist, service delivery could commence in 2007.

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