Theatres at Torbay Hospital are set to benefit from around £15million capital investment which will increase capacity and help reduce local waiting lists.
Announcing the investment, Omar Islam, Associate Medical Director, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This funding will enable us to create two modular theatres as well as additional preoperative assessment spaces and recovery spaces. This means we will be able to care for 4,500 more people each year, reducing the time that people have to wait for day surgery and improving their experience and outcomes.
Theresa Hinde, Clinical Lead for Day Surgery said: “The benefits of day surgery for patients are highly significant, using the highest quality anaesthetic and surgical techniques, and enabling people to return to their own home on the same day. Day surgery has a lower risk of complications and faster recovery which are also hugely beneficial to our patients.”
The day surgery unit at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is recognised nationally for their best practice developed over 30 years, and sees and treats around 12,000 day cases each year.
As surgical and anaesthetic techniques develop, they are able to offer day case surgery across all surgical specialities. Day case operations include orthopaedic surgery such as hip, knee and shoulder replacements as well cataract and other eye operations. A majority of gynaecological, urology ear, nose and throat (ENT) and general surgical procedures also take place as day case. Some emergency and trauma operations are also possible as day case procedures. Overall 80% of surgery performed at Torbay is on a day case basis.
This expansion of theatre capacity will enable the hospital to reduce waiting lists and see more people while they progress plans for hospital redevelopment under the Building a brighter future programme.
Building is scheduled to begin on site in January 2023 and is expected to take eleven months.
ENDS
