New unit aims to speed up kidney stone treatment

People needing treatment for kidney stones should face shorter waiting lists after the opening of a new unit at Coventry's University Hospital, according to health bosses.

The University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust has opened a Urology Investigations Unit (UIU) at its main Walsgrave site.

It brings treatments for kidney stones together in one place, as well as offering procedures for enlarged prostates and restricted bladder flow in men.

Professor Andy Hardy, UHCW Chief Executive, said the new unit would help deliver "modern care now while supporting our ambition to become a regional centre of excellence for urology care".

Keiran Merrick is one of the first people to have been treated by the UI unit, which is based in the main outpatients area at the hospital.

He had a second kidney stone removed using high-energy shockwaves to break it up, without the need for invasive surgery.

"I work in a warehouse and it can be hard to take regular breaks, so dehydration may have played a part.

"The experience was a lot better. Receiving treatment on my back, as opposed to the front, was more comfortable. It seemed easier to take the pain," he said.

Similarly non-invasive procedures will be used to treat men with enlarged prostates and those suffering weak urinary flow.

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