An important study, involving the South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, in the UK, and two other hospitals in Europe, has shed new light on how operating theatres can increase staff safety, improve theatre efficiency and reduce clinical waste.
The South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust operates the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough — a designated major trauma centre that provides a wide range of district general hospital services and specialist services, such as neurosciences, renal medicine, spinal injuries, major trauma, cardiothoracic, vascular surgery and cancer services.
At the heart of the hospital is a modern, central operating suite containing 20 well-equipped theatres, with two recovery areas, which is next to an adult surgical day unit (containing a further three theatres) and the paediatric day unit. There are also two additional theatres for gynaecology and obstetrics, and two more in the ophthalmology day unit.
Also overseen by the Trust is the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, which is the Trust's main site for planned orthopaedic surgery. One of the area's fastest growing hospitals, the Trust is investing £35.5 million in new modern operating theatres at the Friarage site, with plans to almost double the number of planned operations it carries out each year, from just over 5,000 to almost 10,000.
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