Cake is the medicine as former patients celebrate Treatment Centre’s fourth anniversary

Company news

Feb 03, 2011

It was a prescription of sponge cake for all as the North East London NHS Treatment celebrated its fourth anniversary last Friday by welcoming back former patients.

Among those invited to the celebrations was the Centre’s 25,000th patient, Arthur Brown, of Chippenham Road, Harold Hill, Romford, who led the way by cutting the anniversary cake. Arthur, who is 79, underwent a hand operation at the Treatment Centre and also had his sight improved through a cataract operation. He is due to have another cataract operation shortly.

Said Arthur: “The treatment I have had here has been wonderful. The staff are so friendly and always put you at your ease. It is so clean here, too. I cannot praise them enough.”

Also there were Ron and Barbara Woodard, of Lyndhurst Gardens, Barking. Between them they have undergone four cataract operations and they had the chance to meet up again with their consultant Andras Kovac.

“Our experience of this Centre has been superb,” said Mr Woodard. “People here can’t do enough for you and my wife and I always felt we were in very safe hands.”

The Centre which, is run for NHS patients by Care UK, a leading independent provider of health and social care, opened at the beginning of 2007 to help reduce waiting times and increase choice for patients. It specialises in orthopaedics, general surgery, ophthalmology and oral surgery.

Since opening, more than eight thousand people have had their sight improved through cataract treatments; almost four thousand patients are now more mobile thanks to arthroscopy operations; and two and a half thousand people have undergone oral surgery.

In welcoming patients back to the Centre, General Manager, Paul Attwal, said: “It is wonderful for the team here to see these former patients again. This is to celebrate our four years of service in a five year contract and we hope to be able to continue providing services for many years to come.

“It is not about the staff or these bricks and mortar but the patients, and we pride ourselves with treating patients with respect and helping them as much as we can.”

Facilities at the North East London NHS Treatment Centre include six operating theatres, 22 in-patient beds and 24 day-case beds, all divided into small areas or wards. The out-patient/pre-assessment department comprises five consulting/examination rooms.