£70m Spire Manchester Hospital open to patients
The £70m Spire Manchester Hospital opens to patients at its new Didsbury site today (Monday, January 23).
The private facility has relocated from its former base in Whalley Range where it has been for the last 35 years.
A total of about 650 staff will include doctors and nurses and 350 consultants.
It boasts six operating theatres equipped with ultra-high definition 4K imaging and air purification and a theatre for minor local anaesthetic operations in its outpatient department where “wide-awake”surgery can be performed.
Unlike the Whalley Range facility, the new building has a huge medical education on the top floor of the hospital – the only private hospital outside London that has one.
“Our intention is to train the doctors of the future,” hospital director Chris Chadwick told TheBusinessDesk.
“We’re now a serious player in relation to providing all round health care facilities. To be able to make a difference in terms of education in health care is brilliant.”
Chadwick also revealed the key to spending £70m to move the hospital just three miles down the road was its location and the surrounding infrastructure.
“It’s all about accessibility as far as patients, consultants and staff are concerned,” he went on.
“The key thing was public transport, because more than 20% of our patients rely on public transport. The infrastructure here is just brilliant.”
“Being 10 minutes away from Manchester Airport was key to us because we see the opportunity with the quality we have to get international patients who will want to come here.”
Chadwick said 20% of the activity that goes into London private hospitals is from outside the UK.
“Why shouldn’t some of those people want to come to Manchester,” he said.
“The UK has always been renowned as a quality health care provider, while the US is just too expensive.
“There are people who come from the US to London now because the treatment is around half the price.”
“For example, if you were self-paying for a procedure in the US it might cost you around $50,000 (£35,000) whilst in comparison the same procedure is around £15,000 in the UK. You might as well bring your entire family and have a holiday whilst also saving £20,000.”
Manchester City Council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein will officially open the hospital on March 6 as one of his last engagements before retirement.
