Published on: 17 July 2019
The Durham Diagnostics and Treatment Centre (DTC) is celebrating its first year of providing specialist care locally for thousands of patients across Durham and the surrounding areas.
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s state-of-the-art centre, which opened last July, was designed with patient experience in mind and reaction from patients has been extremely positive, with 91% rating care as either ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ in a survey.
The specialist hub, situated just outside Durham city centre on Belmont Industrial Estate, is accessed by patients who previously had to travel to satellite clinics as far away as Shotley Bridge and Peterlee for their care. It incorporates multiple outpatient clinic and treatment rooms and a day-case theatre with recovery areas, as well as the Trust’s new, purpose-built Durham satellite Renal Dialysis service.
Consultant and nurse-led outpatient clinics and day case surgery are offered in a range of specialities including:
- Renal medicine – care for patients with a range of kidney disorders, including a spacious, new, 16-station dialysis unit
- Urology – diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the urinary tract, including kidneys, bladder and prostate / male reproductive organs
- Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) – specialist care for conditions of the ear, nose and throat, including rhinology (nose and sinus problems), otology (diseases of the ear) and endocrine (thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands)
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery – diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the mouth, jaws, face and neck, including a head and neck oncology clinic and a one stop biopsy service
- Ophthalmology – specialist care for the eyes
There are already plans to expand the use of the centre, including introducing Vascular services (for disorders of the arteries, veins and lymphatic system).
Chief Executive of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust Ken Bremner said: “I am delighted that our Durham Treatment Centre has had such a successful first year and I look forward to watching it go from strength to strength. Our aim in building it was to improve the way that we provide services to patients in Durham and the surrounding areas by giving them greater access to treatment much closer to home and in an ultra-modern environment. The feedback we have received from patients and their families has been very positive so far and demonstrates that the centre is proving a great addition to our local NHS.”
As well as the quality of care provided at the DTC being given a ringing endorsement in the survey, 97% described the centre as ‘very clean’ and 91% said they felt that all of the staff were polite and courteous. The overwhelming majority also felt that their privacy and dignity were considered at all times.
One respondent, commenting on their visit, said: “From entering the building to leaving it, all staff were polite and very professional. Best NHS I have ever dealt with, plus the facility was immaculate.”
Suggestions for improvements which emerged from the survey are being addressed and a further questionnaire will be issued early in 2020 to check on the centre’s progress.
