Patients moved into the Manor Hospital’s new state-of-the art Intensive Care Unit today with staff from across Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust all playing their part in ensuring things ran as smoothly as possible.

The first patient moved from the High Dependency Unit just before 9am with others following from that unit and the Intensive Therapy Unit during the course of the day. The final patient was moved just after 4pm.

Lead Intensive Care Consultant Dr Aditya Kuravi explained that today’s move involved Walsall Manor Hospital’s sickest patients.

“The patients in ITU and HDU are critically ill and can suffer from a range of conditions including sepsis, kidney failure, lung failure, respiratory conditions, alcoholism, haemorrhage and drug overdoses,” he explained.

“While we are well used to moving patients it was absolutely essential with a move of this scale to ensure our patients had the right equipment in the right place at the right time which is why the support of colleagues across clinical and non-clinical areas has been key today. There are so many factors that need to be considered – from the porters helping us move equipment and beds to our EBME (Electro-Biomedical Engineering) colleagues checking all the machines work properly and our Support Services Assistants keeping the unit clean.

“As we’re dealing with organ failure it’s not hard to imagine the amount of equipment that can be required to treat a patient. This includes  ventilators  to assist their  breathing via either a face mask or an endotracheal tube into the windpipe; monitoring equipment; defibrillators, a dialysis machine for kidney failure, intravenous lines, feeding tubes, suction pumps, drains, and urinary catheters.

“It has taken a lot of planning to get us to this point but overall the move has gone well and I’d like to thank everyone involved. Now we can concentrate working in a state-of-the-art unit that will provide a better environment for our patients and will be so much more comfortable for our staff to work in.”

Relative Simon Heelas was in the new unit today with his wife Jacky who was moved from ITU.

He said: “”She has pneumonia and came into ED then AMU then ITU. Staff-wise I can’t fault the care she’s had. They’ve all been outstanding.

“This new unit is amazing, it’s so airy and spacious and the move went so well today too. It’s a momentous day for you all.”