Shonan Kamakura General Hospital

Introduction to Shonan Kamakura General Hospital

Shonan Kamakura General Hospital completed construction of its new facility on September 1, 2010, and relocated to its new hospital in Okamoto, Kamakura. The new hospital is spacious, with a floor area 2.5 times larger than that of the former hospital. It has 15 floors above ground and one basement level, with 648 beds, including 619 movable beds. A heliport is located on the rooftop.

In response to the increasing number of ambulance arrivals and emergency patients year after year, the emergency department was expanded to five times its previous size. A dedicated elevator directly connecting the emergency department with the operating rooms and catheterization laboratories was also installed.

Departments at Shonan Kamakura General Hospital

The clinical departments at Shonan Kamakura General Hospital include internal medicine, psychosomatic medicine, neurology, respiratory medicine, gastroenterology, cardiology, allergy medicine, rheumatology, pediatrics, surgery, orthopedics, cosmetic surgery, neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, cardiovascular surgery, dermatology, urology, proctologic surgery, obstetrics, gynecology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, tracheoesophageal surgery, rehabilitation medicine, radiology, anesthesiology, diagnostic pathology, nephrology, hematology, diabetes and endocrinology, emergency medicine, cosmetic dermatology, vascular surgery, breast surgery, surgical oncology, neuroendovascular surgery, medical oncology, dialysis medicine, chest surgery, colorectal surgery, gastric surgery, endoscopic surgery, endoscopic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, vascular medicine, cardiovascular medicine, hepatobiliary and pancreatic medicine, psychiatry, and spinal surgery.

As of April 1, 2018, Shonan Kamakura General Hospital had 1,713 staff members. These included 346 physicians, of whom 228 were full-time and 118 were dedicated specialists; 660 nurses; 48 pharmacists; 55 radiologic technologists; 64 clinical laboratory technologists; 16 registered dietitians; 44 physical therapists; 26 occupational therapists; 11 speech-language-hearing therapists; 32 clinical engineers; five orthoptists; eight clinical trial coordinators; 10 social workers; 17 childcare workers; 93 medical administrative staff; 28 general affairs staff; 10 health information managers; 32 physician office assistants; 80 labor staff; and 128 other personnel.

Shonan Kamakura General Hospital has introduced advanced medical equipment, including 3.0 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging, 320-row CT, the latest radiation therapy equipment, and tomotherapy systems for cancer treatment.

To minimize the areas through which patients need to move, the hospital’s cardiovascular center, stroke center, and obstetrics center each consolidate the related examination, treatment, and inpatient departments on the same floor. This enables the hospital to respond quickly and flexibly to different clinical situations.

From the 6th to the 14th floors, each floor is organized to correspond to a specific disease area or specialty. The four-bed rooms are equipped with refrigerators and televisions. Beds are separated by partition-wall furniture, giving patients a strong sense of personal space. The window ledges and tables are set at the same height, allowing patients to fully enjoy the outside view while lying in bed. Toilets and shower rooms are also located nearby for convenience.

Shonan Kamakura General Hospital is committed to providing safe and reliable medical technology. At the same time, in order to create a meaningful and supportive working environment for hospital staff, the hospital has adopted an evaluation system designed to help employees work with greater motivation. This policy has been well received.

Going forward, Shonan Kamakura General Hospital will continue to uphold the Tokushukai philosophy that “all lives are equal.” In Kamakura, the hospital remains committed to “serving the people 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” “never refusing emergency patients,” and “never accepting gratuities from patients.” It also follows the principle of “developing the hospital under the supervision of patients.”

Shonan Kamakura General Hospital has received Japan Medical Service Accreditation for International Patients, also known as JMIP, and was the first hospital in Japan to receive this distinction. JMIP is the abbreviation for Japan Medical Service Accreditation for International Patients, known in Japanese as the accreditation system for medical services for foreign patients.

After receiving JMIP accreditation, the hospital anticipated an increase in the number of international patients. To ensure a safe and reassuring medical environment for foreign patients, Shonan Kamakura General Hospital decided to carry out further organizational improvements and prepare more fully for international patient care.

As part of these environmental improvements, the hospital decided to install directional signs in English, Chinese, French, Russian, and other languages near the elevators. Other hospital signs were also changed to Japanese-English bilingual formats. Explanatory materials, consent forms, menus, and other documents were also supplemented with English translations.

The hospital also decided to establish translation procedures and explore methods of cooperation among departments to ensure smooth coordination throughout the hospital. Although JMIP accreditation had been obtained, this did not mean that the hospital’s system was perfect. Therefore, it remained necessary to identify issues that arise when receiving foreign patients and to make improvements.

In addition, considering the diverse nationalities, languages, and religions of patients, the hospital recognized that providing accurate and respectful services to foreign patients had become an important learning and training topic for all staff in terms of systems, culture, and education.

The International Medical Services Office was established on the second floor of the hospital to receive foreign patients. It is responsible for organizing information for patients coming from abroad, ensuring that the circumstances of foreign patients are clear and well coordinated, avoiding conflicts with the care of domestic patients, and helping patients avoid confusion during the medical process.

Based on these efforts, the hospital continues to uphold Tokushukai’s philosophy of equality of life and actively promotes its development in line with the progress of the times.