HOSPITAL bosses are finally set to open the doors to their new multi-million pound treatment centre next week - following months of delays.

HOSPITAL bosses are finally set to open the doors to their new multi-million pound treatment centre next week - following months of delays.

The-state-of-the art Garrett Anderson Centre will be unveiled at Ipswich Hospital on Tuesday.

The £26million facility is the biggest development on the Heath Road site for 30 years and will house emergency, elective and critical care as well as a day surgery.

It was due to open in January but problems with flooding and faulty electrical equipment delayed the original handover date.

Contractors Kier had pledged to give Ipswich Hospital control of the centre in March but more technical problems involving the ventilation system in the operating theatre - which could have affected infection control - put the changeover on hold.

Consultant David Lewis said: “This is a fantastic new facility which will make a tremendous difference in the way we care for patients.”

Mark Madden, director of finance and performance, added: “The new four-storey centre will provide a 21st century healthcare environment for the benefit of patients in Suffolk.”

An emergency department, more than twice the size of the current facility, will be the first to open its doors.

It includes a children's emergency department with specialist paediatric staff, four treatment rooms and inside and outside play areas.

The main department features nine major treatment rooms, each with brand new, latest technology monitoring equipment and three state-of-the-art resuscitation bays.

There are also a further four major treatment rooms and three resuscitation bays ready for use when required.

All assessment rooms are single occupancy for improved patient privacy, as well as being much bigger and brighter.

The department also boasts a brand new ambulatory care area accessible from the main entrance to all patients arriving by private transport.

This incorporates a fully equipped urgent care/minor injury unit open 24 hours a day with access to full diagnostics including x-ray, ultrasound and pathology.

The rest of the centre - which will open throughout June - includes a day surgery suite with four theatres and an area dedicated for children, a 40-bed ward for elective care with 20 single rooms, all en suite, and a 22-bed critical care unit with four isolation rooms to help tackle infections.