Andy Burnham returns to Leigh Infirmary for anniversary of building

After Leigh Infirmary's Hanover Building was completed in 2013, Andy Burnham returned to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the building’s award-winning transformation, and was given a guided tour of the services and departments across its three floors.

With design work commenced to revitalise and enhance a number of buildings on the Leigh Infirmary site, the former MP and Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care officially opened the Hanover Building to the public in January 2014.

READ > Jobs created as new Superdrug launches on retail park

Andy Burnham celebrated the building's 10 year anniversary with NHS staff (Image: WWL)

More than a decade ago, the Hanover Building was the main focus of the hospital redevelopment, which urgently required investment in layout and functional ability to allow Wrightington, Wigan, and Leigh NHS Trust to deliver improved services for patients.

With around £6.8 million invested to transform the existing building into a modern outpatient facility, this was the largest clinical services development by the Trust since 2004 and the most significant investment at Leigh since the early 1980s.

Following the development, the Hanover Diagnostic and Treatment Centre has transformed into an iconic landmark which has since been named as the Building Better Healthcare Awards 2013 Best Use of Existing Estate.

The mayor was given a guided tour of the building's three floors (Image: WWL)

On returning to the Hanover building, Mr Burnham said: “It’s brilliant to be back – I remember opening the building as if it was yesterday.

“Being able to come back to something that I’ve been involved in and seeing it thrive is a real treat and I want to say thank you to everyone at Leigh Infirmary for taking such good care of our community and this hospital that means so much to so many.

“The beauty of this building is the availability of procedures that are here for the local community. It means that they don’t have to travel far for their healthcare needs, and, with the development of the new Community Diagnostic Centre and new theatre build, it really does secure the future of Leigh Infirmary.”

On Mr Burnham's tour, he was given the opportunity to speak to many staff members who work across the Urology, Endoscopy and Women’s Healthcare services, as well as the building’s Endoscopy Reprocessing Units.

Welcoming the Mayor to the site, WWL Chair, Mark Jones commented: “It has been a delight to welcome Andy back to the building that he opened all those years ago.

“In the ten years since, the Hanover building, and the staff who work there, has certainly been a valuable asset to the Trust and the local community -  in endoscopy alone, we do around 9,000 endoscopy procedures here a year.

“We’re extremely proud of the service here at Leigh Infirmary and it has been a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the achievements the staff here have made.”

Moving forward, the work to build the additional theatre, alongside the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) scheme, will create a new surgical hub facility to expand the range of procedures which can be undertaken at Leigh Infirmary. The new CDC will open its doors to patients later this year.