The Newport-based St Joseph's Hospital comprises 11 centres of excellence following an £11 million investment, including advanced diagnostics, cardiology, breast care, urgent care, private GP and health assessments.

The re-launch positions St Joseph’s in a prime position to provide healthcare to patients across Wales and the South West. The hospital, which is supported by 160 leading consultants, now contains state-of-the-art equipment and advanced diagnostic facilities.

The investment was made after the hospital was purchased by three principle investors and 40 consultants in July last year. The hospital’s revamp has created 68 new jobs, increasing the number of permanent staff to 177, and seen the facility welcome more than 44,000 out-patients and over 3,500 in-patients.

The improvements have created a number of new employment roles including specialist breast care nurses, patient support sister, senior imaging roles, emergency nurse practitioners, occupational health nurse specialists, GP nurses, physiotherapists and administration apprentices.

The hospital has access to advanced equipment including a Hologic 3D Breast Tomosynthesis scanner, an advanced mammography system and an Aquilion ONE 640 Slice CT scanner which provides the clearest images and the lowest radiation dose achievable.

The hospital has also invested in a Vantage Titan Helios 1.5T MRI scanner capable of high standard imaging, and new XRay and fluoroscopy systems.

As part of the development, purpose built, dedicated centres for cardiology, breast care, private GP service, health assessments, advanced diagnostics and urgent care have been constructed.

The revamp has also seen the exterior entrance and gardens, main reception and physiotherapy centre refurbished. The hospital is also now offering bespoke services with a dedicated patient support sister offering patients advice and counsel before, during and after care, a concierge patient collection service and free breast checks.

Co-owner and executive chairman, Brian Staples, said: “St Joseph’s Hospital sets a new benchmark in the delivery of private health services in the UK. Our independence allows us to be different, and we are delivering a level of service – five stars - which we believe our patients have a right to expect. Modern, high quality healthcare can only result from the best available diagnosis, which is supported by our very advanced imaging capability.

“Prevention will always be better than cure, and we have placed a heavy emphasis on the earliest possible detection of disease through our health assessment programmes, which are again supported by our advanced imaging capability.

“Our independence allows us to be radical in other areas, so our breast care centre offers free breast checks to anyone concerned about their breast health, and we have introduced the first private urgent care centre in Wales and the South West, which will offer an alternative for many to the waiting times at their local A & E, and take some pressure off of our hard pressed NHS.”