Professor Andrew Lever (second on right) with Ward D10 staff

The Mary Seacole Unit, a special facility for treating patients with infectious diseases, was officially opened at Addenbrooke's on Thursday 26 January 2006 by Professor Andrew Lever, Consultant in Infectious Diseases.

The unit, which opened in May 2005, is located on Ward D10 at the hospital, which has ten separate rooms for treating patients with infectious diseases such as drug-resistant TB, and assessing tropical diseases in patients from around the region.

The Mary Seacole Unit provides a higher grade of isolation facility, including a separate airflow system, and also has an ante room where staff can change and decontaminate before and after seeing their patient. The state-of-the-art equipment means that the patient can be monitored remotely from outside the room.

The unit was named after Mary Seacole, a nurse who, during the time of the Crimea War in the mid-nineteenth century, was a leader in infectious diseases.

Speaking about the new facilities, Professor Lever said: "The new facility gives a new capability for treating patients with diseases like drug-resistant TB and other diseases that require isolation in the knowledge that patients and staff are safe. It's a facility most hospitals don't have and puts Addenbrooke's ahead of the pack.

"It is also a concrete example of how seriously the hospital takes infection, and reflects the good work that has been going on for many years in D10 and has largely gone unsung. It's not for nothing that the unit has recently gained the very prestigious practice development award."

The official opening was also an opportunity to celebrate Ward D10's recent level two accreditation for practice development - working in partnership with patients to ensure they are the focus of effective care - by Leeds University. The staff have achieved this through their work on projects focusing on improved patient stay and clinical care, including the introduction of colour-coded scrubs to aid staff identification and communication for all users of D10.


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For further press/media information contact: PR & Communications Department, Box 53, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QQ; Tel: 01223 274 433; Fax: 01223 257 143; Minicom: 01223 274 604.

Last updated: 2 February 2006
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