Major New Building Proposed at West Mid Hospital |
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Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre would cater to cancer patients and provide dialysis
A planning application has been submitted by the Trust that runs West Middlesex Hospital for a major new diagnostic centre. The five-storey building would be built on land to the east of the Marjory Warren Wing by Hepple Road adjacent to Syon Park and would require the demolition of the current renal centre and the MRI unit. The new Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre (ADC) would, according to the submission with the application, transform healthcare services in the area and lead to faster diagnosis for a range of conditions. A state-of-the-art facility would provide diagnostic imaging such as X-ray, CT and MRI as well as cancer treatment and renal dialysis for people with kidney problems. There would also be a training and education centre within the unit. The total area of the development zone is 7,350sqm and the construction would require the removal of five Category B and six Category C trees. The 400-bedteaching hospital recently celebrated its centenary and is one of two main hospitals operated by the Chelsea and Westminster Health Trust which has over 6,000 members of staff working across the two main hospital sites (West Middlesex and Chelsea and Westminster). The Trust has appointed AECOM and JCA to develop design proposals with the aim of making the site a health campus. The ADC would enable the expansion of existing clinical services, including increased capacity for Imaging, Haematology and Oncology treatments, and Renal dialysis which will release space within the main PFI hospital for more acute needs.
The Trust says the existing facilities for these services are outdated and suffer from backlog maintenance issues and a lack of capacity. Some of the services are housed in temporary buildings that date back to the seventies. The local population has a high incidence of renal disease, which combined with an ageing demographic and health profile of the local community creates a high level of demand, in excess of current provision. The current Imaging department has insufficient capacity, which is alleviated by use of a mobile MRI, leased from Alliance Health, located in the existing car park. The Trust says this is inefficient as it requires a split department and the new building would allow them to bring MRI provision in house. The proposed net internal floor areas for the departmental services are: Images release with the planning application claim to show that the visual impact of the new centre on local protected views would be minimal. The Trust has already held five pre-application meetings with council planners.
August 12, 2022 |