The West Herts Hospitals charity urology appeal
A new urology centre is coming to St Albans City Hospital. Please help us raise the £1 million we need to purchase state-of-the-art equipment that will bring specialist care and improved patient experience to West Herts.
£1m
is our appeal target
Why we need your help
Our new £10.5m urology centre is part-funded by West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and NHS England, but additional funding is needed for all the equipment we’d like to offer. West Herts Hospitals Charity aims to raise £1 million for vital diagnostic and treatment equipment.
Lithotripsy uses sound waves to break up kidney stones from outside the body, so they can be passed more easily. For suitable patients, that means treatment in around 45 minutes, with no anaesthetic or needles, and home the same day.
The right equipment, in one place, helps patients have their tests and get answers sooner, with fewer journeys and less time spent waiting and worrying.
In future, the centre will allow the service to expand into focal therapy: targeted treatment that will massively improve the lives and outcomes of patients with prostate cancer.
Watch our film
Meet the clinical and operational team behind the Yourology project – and the patients who will benefit from it. Watch our short video and see why a new urology centre at St Albans City Hospital matters so much.
“Urology touches probably everybody at some point in their lifetime.”
Taufiq Shaikh
Consultant Urologist and Clinical Lead
Urology is the medical specialty concerned with the urinary system, including the kidneys, bladder and the passages that carry urine, as well as the male reproductive system, including the prostate. It covers the investigation and treatment of both cancerous and non-cancerous conditions – from blood in the urine and raised PSA results to painful kidney stones.
why we need a new urology centre
Today, many urology patients face repeated visits to different hospital sites for appointments, tests and treatment. Every wait can prolong pain and uncertainty, causing anxiety and worry, especially when waiting to hear the results of investigations.
“I’ve been across five different sites in the last ten months. You just want to know whether you do or you don’t have cancer.”
Andy Pelley
Prostate cancer patient
The new urology centre
We are transforming a disused ward at St Albans City Hospital into a purpose-built urology centre, with eight clinic rooms, three dedicated procedure rooms, an ultrasound room and a recovery bay. Specialist doctors, nurses and support staff will work side by side, so patients get answers and treatment sooner, with fewer visits*.
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*Same-day diagnosis and treatment will depend on each patient’s clinical needs and is a target rather than a guarantee.
Already making a difference
Some patients are already experiencing the benefits the new centre will bring. Maria was the first patient on the hospital’s pilot ‘one-stop’ urology pathway.
“Very quickly, I had an ultrasound, and I went from one room to the other, straight away.”
“This has made it so much better to get the results on the very same day… you can then know what you’re facing.”
Maria Allen
Patient on the pilot ‘one-stop’ urology pathway
Please donate today
Every donation, big or small, brings us closer to £1 million and to a centre built around you. Your gift will help patients get answers sooner, with fewer journeys and less worry.
Please give whatever you can afford today (the form may take a moment to load). Thank you.
A West Herts Hospitals Charity appeal for St Albans City Hospital.