VIDEO: Worthing Hospital's new £1million intensive care unit

It was opened by Dr Judith Hulf, president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists on Friday, March 14.

Tours of the new unit were given by Dr Shaun Anderson and Claire Hogan, ITU clinical manager to staff, former patients and invited guests including MP Tim Loughton, Worthing Mayor Heather Mercer and Adur District Council chairman Brenda Collard.

Around 700 patients from across West Sussex are now treated each year in the unit which has six beds.

It now boasts a special air conditioning system, two isolation cubicles for infectious patients and the distance between the beds has more than doubled to improve infection control.

Specialist monitoring equipment connected to each patient is suspended from the ceiling on hydraulic pendants, giving staff 360-degree access to their patient.

Phase two of the scheme, which will be completed in May, is to refurbish the next door high dependency unit.

This will include a new relatives lounge paid for by the Worthing Hospital League of Friends.

See the full story in the Worthing Herald on Thursday, March 20.

Click the green icon to the right to watch a video from Worthing Hospital's new ITU.