£887,000 makeover for sexual health clinic
19 December 2005
Faster test results and a brighter environment will greet patients when they visit the new John Hunter Clinic for sexual health.
Faster test results and a brighter environment will greet patients when they visit the new John Hunter Clinic for sexual health. The Clinic will close just before Christmas and will be re-opening in February after a major £887,000 refurbishment.
Building work on the project is due to start in January and will see three floors of the St Stephen's Centre on the Fulham Road, which includes the John Hunter Clinic for sexual health, completely redeveloped.
The clinic will benefit from a new waiting area, double the number of examination rooms and more consultation rooms. A new telephone appointments system is being developed which will enable calls to be answered more efficiently. There will also be a dedicated triage room so patients can be seen more quickly, as well as a new integrated medical records storage system and an upgraded laboratory to speed up test results.
New equipment has been purchased thanks to a generous donation of £35,000 from the Hospital's League of Friends. This includes new examination couches, lights, microscopes and laboratory equipment.
Staff will also benefit from the refurbishment with improved educational facilities, office space and an upgraded staff room.
Clinical Director Dr Simon Barton said: "This investment will greatly improve the service we offer patients and the working environment for our staff. We have spent many months planning for the building works to try and ensure as little disruption for patients as possible and we would ask them to bear with us whilst these essential building works are undertaken. In the last five years we have seen a 25% increase in the number of new infections and a dramatic increase in the number of people accessing sexual health services. We will continue to run services in conjunction with our colleagues based at the West London Centre for Sexual Health at Charing Cross Hospital."
The John Hunter Clinic for sexual health will be closed for refurbishment from 23rd December 2005 to 27th February 2006 but services will still be running at the nearby West London Centre for Sexual Health at Charing Cross Hospital.