A SPECIAL urology clinic named in honour of former consultant Bill Richmond has opened at Leigh Infirmary.

The new Richmond Urology Unit, located in the £6.8 million Hanover Diagnostic and Treatment Centre is the borough's dedicated facility to diagnose and treat patients with urinary tract and male reproductive system diseases. These include bladder and prostate problems.

“Its title honours the 23 years service Bill Richmond gave to the patients of Leigh and Wigan as the first urologist employed in the borough,” said Les Higgins, chairman of Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust.

“Many Trust staff, patients and GPs remember Bill with great affection, so it was no surprise that the Richmond Urology Unit was the only name to receive widespread approval among staff, patients and especially Bill’s former colleagues.”

Bill and his team of urology pioneers not only established local urology services but also delivered some of the shortest NHS urology waiting lists in the UK over many years.

Before he retired in 1999, Bill served as clinical director of surgery as well as consultant representative on the Wigan Area Health Authority, on the steering committee which set up the Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust, and also on the Trust Board.

“I chose to work in Wigan and Leigh because I wanted to set up and establish a high quality urology service, which is exactly what we did," said Mr Richmond when he formally opened the unit.

"The new state of the art facilities mean that for the first time, patients benefit from some of the best urology facilities in the country, as well as exceptionally talented and dedicated staff.”

Andy Thompson, Consultant Urological Surgeon at the Trust, said: “We are immensely proud of the new Richmond Urology Unit which provides a swift, more accessible service for patients providing investigations and diagnostic tests on the same day.”

At the ceremony colleagues recognised Lead Nurse Sue Fowler's work in getting the Richmond Urology Unit operational.