The Operating Theatre Journal - Flipbook - Page 17
Global Peri-Operative Medicine:
Anaesthesia, Pain, and Critical
Care Conference - What’s New?
Date: Thursday 14th and Friday 15th March 2024
Venue: America Square Conference Centre,
America Square, London EC3N 2LB
To Register:
https://www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/GPOM23
New £15m operating theatre ‘immune to cancellations’
WAITING lists across the borough are set to be slashed after a new £15m
theatre – ‘immune from cancellations’ – opened its doors to the public
for the 昀椀rst time on Monday.
Barnsley Hospital has been working closely with other local trusts to
create the new facility – the Mexborough Elective Orthopaedic Centre
of Excellence (MEOC) – which welcomed its 昀椀rst patients earlier this
week thanks to NHS funding.
The plans, which were 昀椀rst touted last year, picked up pace quickly and
only took six months to complete.
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH) received £14.9m
of capital investment funding from NHS England (NHSE) to develop the
elective orthopaedic centre at Montagu Hospital.
Working in partnership with Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and
the Rotherham Hospital Foundation Trust, colleagues at DBTH will lead
the programme to implement a new, dedicated orthopaedic hub for the
people of South Yorkshire, with health professionals undertaking hip
and knee replacement inpatient procedures alongside foot and ankle,
hand and wrist, and shoulder day case surgery.
In the 昀椀rst year of operation the centre will undertake more than 2,000
orthopaedic procedures on behalf of the three partner trusts, equating
to about 40 per cent of the current orthopaedic waiting list locally.
Richard Jenkins, chief executive at Barnsley Hospital, said: “All trusts
involved in this project are rightly proud of what has been achieved.
Specialist equipment, including a C-Arm – an advanced medical imaging
device based on X-ray technology – have been successfully delivered
and installed in the theatres and in other areas within the centre.
Additionally, stocks of medical supplies are in place, ready for upcoming
procedures.
“Together we are capable of providing a service that will be a beacon
of excellence, ensuring high quality orthopaedic care for local people.”
Both medical and clerical staff have undergone selection and induction,
receiving training in the speci昀椀c processes and protocols associated
with the service.
The service will operate 50 weeks a year, starting as a 昀椀ve day a week
service, increasing to six days once running to full capacity, expected
by mid-2024.
Richard Parker OBE, chief executive at DBTH, said: “The MEOC will
make a huge difference for those patients who require orthopaedic
surgery.
It is anticipated that knee and hip replacement patients will be able
to go home the same day as their surgery, in line with national best
practices.
The exterior of the centre has received its 昀椀nishing touches, with
landscaping and pathways completed.
“The service will help to not only reduce waiting lists for orthopaedic
treatment in the locality, but also reduce health inequalities, as the
South Yorkshire area it serves sits within one of the most deprived
areas in the country.”
Find out more 02921 680068 • e-mail admin@lawrand.com
Source: ‘wearebarnsley’
Issue 401
February
2024
17