NNUH Norfolk Centre for Interventional Radiology opens

Today NNUH opens the doors to the £7m Norfolk Centre for Interventional Radiology (NCIR), welcoming its first patients on Wednesday 30 September 2020.

The NCIR is the first in the country to house two Siemens Artis Pheno C-Arm robots and will quadruple the number of interventional suites, placing NNUH among the foremost centres in the UK for interventional radiology. In turn this will transform the Trust into a national beacon of excellence and a regional training centre in this field.

NCIR Project Manager Ray McFee said: “It is really rewarding to see this Centre open. Years of planning, designing and building this unit have come to fruition. What has been created here is an interventional radiology facility housing some of the most advanced technology in the world. As a trust we have taken a quantum leap in terms of the technology we have put in place.

The Centre sits on the roof of the east block and houses the two freestanding robots and a further two ceiling mounted Artis-Q C-Arms. They are at the centre of the new 1,450sqm space, which will comprise of four large treatment rooms, a fully kitted out 16-bed recovery unit, nurse bases, an anaesthetic room, offices, staff rest rooms, pre-assessment bays, prep rooms, scrubs, toilets and a main reception with waiting area.

Such has been the popularity of the unit that a recruitment drive had to be cut short due to the large numbers of interested people wanting to join – including an established academic consultant joining NNUH to enhance our interventional radiology research portfolio.

Interventional Radiology Service lead Dave Pechey said: “The shortage of radiologists has been recognised as a national issue, but when we started our recruitment drive we were confident that we had something really special to offer successful candidates, for a first job with us and in terms of career progression. It means we can really grow our own, and sustain, a world-class team offering world class treatment.”

Imaging matron Cherry King said: “The whole team is really excited to be in the new unit. It will play a truly major part in improving patient experience as it will help meet increasing demand on services by allowing for more day case work, thus reducing waiting times for patients, and in time, enabling NNUH staff to offer new services.”

Innovative floor-to-ceiling art work has also been installed within the unit by Norfolk artist Beverley Coraldean, who has been commissioned to create a number of pieces for the centre including wall claddings and two ceiling panels, after being selected from around 30 artists by a panel of patients and staff at the trust.

With a theme of wildlife and nature, Beverley has used a specialised wall cladding which adheres to national infection, prevention and control standards that are in place in the NCIR.

Chief of Division for Clinical Support Services Dr Richard Goodwin said: “We are extremely proud of this new unit and what it has to offer our patients from all over Norfolk and further afield. This will transform NNUH into a centre of excellence in this field.”