Withybush's new dialysis unit on track (From Western Telegraph)

Withybush's new dialysis unit on track

3:50pm Saturday 23rd February 2013 in News

The steel structure for the new renal unit at Withybush Hospital is now up.

Work started on the new £7.5million 21-bay Renal Dialysis Unit in the summer and is progressing to schedule with doors opening to its first patients in February 2014.

The new unit will remove the need for patients to travel out of Pembrokeshire to receive dialysis treatment.

Hywel Dda Health Board said car parking facilities had also been developed as part of the project with an increase in patient, staff and disabled parking spaces.

Project lead, Martin Thomas said: “We haven’t looked at this project in isolation and where we can help improve access for patients to the hospital in general we have.

“As part of the construction, traffic routes around the hospital site and the general entry and exit of the hospital site have been improved.

“A further benefit is that local buses will be able drop off and pick up passengers directly at the front entrance of the hospital.

“We are also improving access to the children’s play area and introducing artificial grass around the development to save on maintenance costs.”

The new building has a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) excellent rating which is the highest rating for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability under the BREEAM accreditation system.

Energy saving measures include solar panels, stateof- the-art lighting with sensors and daylight sensitive lighting to corridors, toilets and office areas.

The new unit will replace the current six-bay facility which is located in temporary buildings at the back of the hospital site.