The ‘Alden Suite’ has been officially opened at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital (RDCH) thanks to a charitable donation.
The newly refurbished Phototherapy suite is named after supporters Jerry and Constance Alden, who have funded its re-development thanks to a generous donation made by them to the League of Friends of RDCH last year.
Leonard Singer (Chairman of the League of Friends of RDCH) and Dr Neill. Hepburn (Consultant Dermatologist, Manx Care) had the honour of opening the suite, and were joined by colleagues from Manx Care’s Skin Service department based in Ramsey, members of the League of Friends, patients and service users, and Manx Care’s Chief Executive, Teresa Cope.
The Phototherapy suite is led by Dr. Hepburn and Helen Thompson, Manx Care’s Dermatology Clinical Nurse Specialist, and is supported by a number of Registered Nurses. All of the practitioners within the department have been fully trained in the delivery of Phototherapy and the management of photosensitive dermatoses. Phototherapy is widely recognised by the British Association of Dermatologists as a critical part of skin treatment provision. In addition, it is NICE-approved (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) across the UK for patients with a variety of skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis and acne. Phototherapy can be used as an effective treatment for nearly 20 different skin conditions, and can often reduce the need for patients to use expensive drugs as part of their treatment programme.
A number of patients have already begun their Phototherapy treatment at the Alden Suite, with the team receiving positive feedback for its excellent results.
During the opening ceremony. Mr. Singer paid tribute to the League of Friends charity which has supported the Phototherapy service, and which continues to support the provision of patient care and facilities development at RDCH.
Manx Care’s Consultant Dermatologist, Dr. Neill Hepburn, commented:
'This service gives those individual living with inflammatory skin conditions the ability to live a normal life – it gives them their life back. This incredibly generous donation from Jerry and Constance Alden will undoubtedly provide immeasurable benefit for years to come and I would like to thank them for their generosity.'
