Work is underway at Solihull Hospital on a brand new purpose built unit for its award-winning dermatology service.

The £3.5m investment for the service will mean new facilities and a much improved environment for patients and staff, as well as provision for the future development of specialist services.

Other benefits include extra theatres and increased surgical capacity meaning a more efficient and seamless journey for patients. The service is also hoping that the new state-of-the-art facilities will encourage dermatological fellows to join, who will have the opportunity to undertake specialist clinical activity as well as research at the Hospital.

Dr Irshad Zaki, consultant dermatologist and clinical director, said: “We are delighted to have the go ahead on the conversion of the current Ward 21 to an ultra-modern dermatology facility.

“As well as providing a service for the local population, many of our patients travel a long way to see us as we are a tertiary referral centre for patients with severe skin disease and skin cancer. We treat a wide range of patients undergoing major skin surgery through to treatment for eczema and psoriasis.

“We are proud of our team and the dermatology service is thriving having grown in size by more than 60 per cent in the last 10 years. We aspire to have Beacon status, providing the highest quality patient care for both secondary and tertiary services and this investment is a major step forward for us in achieving this.”