July 30, 2021 4.31 pm This story is over 31 months old

Jonathan Van-Tam opens new £4.5m Lincoln hospital unit

Including 10 side rooms with high-tech video technology

A new £4.5 million specialist respiratory unit at Lincoln County Hospital was opened by the Boston-born Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Jonathan Van-Tam this week.

The 10 side rooms in the new unit are all equipped with high-tech video technology and monitoring equipment, so the team can provide patients with non-invasive ventilation and other specialist respiratory treatments.

The respiratory unit was built by ModuleCo Ltd at its Gloucestershire Assembly Facility before being delivered in sections to Lincoln County Hospital, and then craned into position over a 72-hour period.

It is hoped the unit will be able to welcome patients later this summer once final touches have been completed.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam cut the ribbon to open the new £4.5 million specialist respiratory unit at Lincoln County Hospital. | Photo: ULHT

The unit will also be home to the Captain Sir Tom Moore Pleural Procedure room. It will treat both inpatients and outpatients from across the county who have diseases of the lining of the lung.

A second Captain Sir Tom Moore Pleural Procedure room has been installed and is already being used by patients from across the county at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam with staff in the Captain Sir Tom Moore Plural Procedure room as part of the new £4.5 million specialist respiratory unit for Lincolnshire patients. | Photo: ULHT

Professor Van-Tam said: “Thank you for the terrific honour to come back to Lincoln County Hospital to open the specialist respiratory unit.

“This is something very close to my heart because of the pandemic and also because I have asthma. It is fantastic to see this happening, with this high-tech and cutting edge facility which will very much put you on the map.

“Thank you to all staff at the hospital. As a specialist respiratory team you have been very much on the frontline of this for 18 months and the pandemic is not over yet. A big thank you.”

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam in one of the new side rooms on the specialist respiratory unit. | Photo: ULHT

Andrew Morgan, Chief Executive at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “This unit is all side rooms, reducing the need for staff to enter unnecessarily, meaning they will help us to control the spread of infection.

“This will not only really help us when treating patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, but will also provide a fantastic facility to deliver a modern, high quality respiratory service for the future.”