Endoscopy suite to reopen after repairs
Ready at last...the completed new day case unit at St Luke's Hospital.
A HOSPITAL unit closed after less than a year of operations when rust was found on machinery is set to reopen next Tuesday (January 15).
Endoscopy sessions at the day case unit at St Luke’s Hospital, in leicester Road, Harborough, were suspended in September after rust patches appeared on a decontamination machine.
Investigations eventually revealed the use of a salt-based disinfectant had caused the rust.
Final checks on the repaired equipment were taking place this week and, providing they go well, the unit will reopen on Tuesday, said Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust, which runs the unit.
An non-salt based sterilising solution, will be used in future, it added.
The facility, which offers minor procedures such as endoscopies, was meant to be up and running in the summer of 2010 but the project was beset by numerous delays.
Built by Modcon UK in stages the Middle East, it sat for weeks at Tilbury Docks after suffering damage in transit.
Modcon UK later went into liquidation and Hallam Contractors were brought in to finish the job.
It eventually opened in January last year.
It was revealed in April last year that the problems had resulted in an overspend of £880,000.
Health campaigner Cllr Phil Knowles said: “When I highlighted the latest raft of problems at the unit there was little evidence that the endoscopy unit would need be closed for months.
“It seems to confirm that the problems were indeed extensive.
“I am delighted the unit will shortly reopen but, on a unit that was 18 months late in opening, arrived damaged and that seems to stumble from one problem to the next we can only hope that everything is now finally sorted.”
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Market Harborough
Sunday 26 May 2013
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 5 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 7 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: South west








