NON-emergency patients will be treated in Ipswich Hospital's new Garrett Anderson Centre for the first time today.The hospital's critical care department will open its doors this morning in the £26million treatment centre.

Rebecca Lefort

NON-emergency patients will be treated in Ipswich Hospital's new Garrett Anderson Centre for the first time today.

The hospital's critical care department will open its doors this morning in the £26million treatment centre.

The centre, which was blighted by flooding and electrical problems which delayed its opening by months, will house emergency care, day surgery, elective care and critical care.

It is hoped that the critical care department will help to boost the hospital's infection control crackdown thanks to its four isolation rooms.

The state-of-the-art new 22-bed department also includes a patient monitoring system.

Critical Care matron Mary Parfitt said: "Patients, visitors and staff alike will notice a huge difference and my team are very much looking forward to being able to improve the care we provide our patients."

The emergency department has already moved into the Garrett Anderson Centre and later this month a day surgery suite and a 40-bed ward for elective care will also open.

Mike Brookes, hospital Chairman, said: "The new four-storey centre gives the hospital more space and modern facilities to provide excellence in patient care and has been designed with patient privacy and dignity, and infection control in mind. It also offers hugely improved facilities for staff."

Have you visited the new Garrett Anderson Centre? How did you find the centre? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.