£15million additional theatres at Torbay Hospital 'will help reduce waiting lists'

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 sirector at 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, TSDFT 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 and general surgical procedures also take place as day case.

Some emergency and trauma operations are also possible as day case procedures.

Overall 80 per cent of surgery performed at Torbay is on a day-case basis.

Mohammad Abbasi, ophthalmic clinical director, added: “Improvement and additional capacity for Torbay eye unit is long overdue.

"We are all excited about this development, as with this investment and appropriate additional staffing, we will be able to see and treat significantly more day cases each year.

"Our waiting lists for eye surgery continue to grow exponentially and we are seeing more people with complex health needs.

"We are excited about being able to care for more people and improve not only their sight but their whole wellbeing.”

Ian Currie, medical director at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to have secured this funding to improve and expand our theatres.

"We absolutely understand that waiting for planned hospital surgery or treatment can be a difficult and worrying time, and we have been working hard, with all our colleagues across Devon, to bring waiting times down and to see people as soon as we can.

“This expansion of our theatre capacity will enable us to reduce our waiting lists and see more people while we progress our plans for our hospital redevelopment under our Building a brighter future programme.”

Building is scheduled to begin on site in January and is expected to take 11 months.