GM Mayor returns to celebrate a decade of specialist treatment at key Wigan borough medical facility

The building was officially opened by Mr Burnham in January 2014, during his time as MP for Leigh and the then Shadow Secretary of State for Health.

To mark the anniversary and the building's award-winning transformation, staff welcomed the Greater Manchester Mayor as he took a tour of the services and departments spread across three floors.

This included speaking to staff who were delighted to meet Mr Burnham and have the opportunity to showcase the work that goes on in the Urology, Endoscopy and Women’s Healthcare services, as well as the building’s Endoscopy Reprocessing Units.

Welcoming the Mayor to the site, WWL chair Mark Jones said: “It has been a delight to welcome Andy back to the building that he opened all those years ago. In the 10 years since, the Hanover building, and the staff who work there, has certainly been a valuable asset to the trust and the local community - in endoscopy alone, we do around 9,000 endoscopy procedures here a year.

“We’re extremely proud of the service here at Leigh Infirmary and it has been a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the achievements the staff here have made.”

In 2011, WWL begab design work to revitalise and enhance a number of buildings on the infirmary site and the main focus of these developments was the 1970s Hanover building. The inpatient facility of around 2,700m sq required investment in layout and functionality to allow the trust to deliver improved services.

A total of £6.8m was invested to transform the building into what is now known as The Hanover Diagnostic and Treatment Centre.

This was the largest clinical services development by the trust since 2004 and the most significant investment at Leigh since the early 1980s. The Hanover Diagnostic and Treatment Centre was transformed into a landmark with a contemporary design that continues to allow staff to deliver high quality services for patients and was later named as the Building Better Healthcare Awards 2013 Best Use of Existing Estate.

Mr Burnham said: “It’s brilliant to be back – I remember opening the building as if it was yesterday.

“Being able to come back to something that I’ve been involved in and seeing it thrive is a real treat and I want to say thank you to everyone at Leigh Infirmary for taking such good care of our community and this hospital that means so much to so many.

“The beauty of this building is the availability of procedures that are here for the local community. It means that they don’t have to travel far for their healthcare needs, and, with the development of the new Community Diagnostic Centre and new theatre build, it really does secure the future of Leigh Infirmary.”

The work to build the additional theatre, alongside the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) scheme, will create a new surgical hub facility to expand the range of procedures which can be undertaken at Leigh Infirmary. The new CDC will open its doors to patients later this year.