Hundreds of thousands more patients will benefit from NHS treatment by next year thanks to dozens of new surgical spaces, the Government has announced.
The Government says that, as part of an ambitious catch-up plan, an estimated 780,000 additional surgeries and outpatient appointments will be provided at 37 new surgical hubs, 10 expanded existing hubs and 81 new theatres dedicated to elective care.
Surgical hubs are separated from emergency services in hospitals meaning tests and operations can continue in one place, largely unaffected by increased pressure in other parts of the hospital, such as COVID and flu. The Targeted Investment Fund (TIF) aims to provide almost 600 new beds (584) specifically for elective care, dozens of elective theatres which will deliver state-of-the-art treatment and nearly 90 more critical care beds across the country (87).
Since the elective recovery plan was published last year, the NHS has performed almost 120 million diagnostic tests – 6% higher than in the same period last year – and offered 13.5 million elective appointments and treatments – 9% higher than in the same period last year.
Elective care was delivered for 70,000 more patients in November compared to the same period pre-pandemic, meaning the waiting list dropped by almost 30,000 compared to the month before.
NHS National Director of Elective Recovery, Sir Jim Mackey said: “It is testament to the hard work of NHS staff that even as they’ve experienced some of the toughest months in NHS history with ‘twindemic’ pressures during winter and continued COVID cases, they have made significant progress in the first year of our elective recovery plan.
“It is thanks to the hard work of staff and thanks to the fact we are a national health service that we hit the first milestone and remain on track to hit our next ambition by April – staff have taken every opportunity to bring long waits down, including through offering patients the chance to travel for their treatment.
“As part of the biggest catch-up programme in NHS history, our efforts are not stopping there and this additional capacity will ensure we continue to address the covid backlog as we increase the number of tests, operations and appointments the NHS can offer. As, ever patients should continue to come forward for care when they need it – using 999 and A&E in an emergency and NHS 111 Online otherwise.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “We have made great progress in the past year in tackling the COVID backlogs, but too many patients are still waiting too long for treatment. These new surgical hubs speed up access to treatment for hundreds of thousands of patients up and down the country – providing 780,000 additional surgery and outpatient appointments.
“Bringing together the skills and expertise of staff under one roof will ensure we keep pace with future demand and rapidly reduce waiting times, getting patients access to vital procedures when and where they need them.”
Urgent cancer referrals have been at record levels since March 2021 with over a quarter of a million people (264,391) checked in November, with more than nine in 10 people starting treatment within a month.
Cancer is one area in which treatment capacity will be increased, with Basildon Hospital expanding lung cancer surgery capacity and Royal Preston adding a new theatre to carry out various cancer surgeries. King George’s Hospital surgical hub at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) will benefit from the developments with £14m of funding being spent on adding two new theatres to the hub. The hub in Ilford focuses on the six specialities that make up 70% of the Trusts waiting list – general surgery, ENT, trauma and orthopaedics, ophthalmology, urology and gynaecology. It carried out more than 7,600 surgeries last year, helping reduce the number of those waiting more than two years for treatment at BHRUT to zero.
In Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), three new operating theatres are on target to open this summer at Addenbrooke’s Hospital to help cut waiting lists for routine orthopaedic operations – such as knee and hip replacements and will be located next to P and Q wards which were opened in Oct 2021. These wards will provide 40 dedicated surgical beds for patients undergoing planned orthopaedic surgery and once the hub is completed, it will increase orthopaedic capacity at CUH by 20%, carrying out around 2,700 procedures a year.
