£6million new Day Surgery Unit to increase surgeries by 4,000 a year
A £6million investment into a new Day Surgery Unit (DSU) at North Mid will help tackle and reduce our backlog of patients waiting for surgery by thousands every year.
The Trust is one of 50 to receive the funding for new hubs which will help treat an additional 4,000 patients here every year once construction is completed in Spring 2023.
The new hub will treat a mix of outpatient and admitted (including overnight or day cases) patients and will reduce waiting times for some of the most common procedures.
They will focus mainly on providing high volume low complexity surgery, as previously recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons of England, with particular emphasis on ophthalmology, general surgery, trauma and orthopaedics (not including spinal surgery), gynaecology, ear nose and throat, and urology.
These operations can be performed quickly and effectively in one place, improving quality and efficiency which will mean patients have shorter waits for surgery, will be more likely to go home on the same day, and will be less likely to need additional treatment after surgery.
As the hubs are separated from emergency services, surgical beds are kept free for patients waiting for planned operations, reducing the risk of short-notice cancellations and improving infection control.
Once completed, training opportunities for junior staff will be improved alongside the Trust’s recruitment and retention strategy whilst helping the Trust meet and maintain targets by reducing the number of patients waiting for surgery.
Construction of the day surgery unit will commence in October and is due to be completed in Spring 2023.
Shola Adegoroye, chief operating officer at North Mid, said: “Making sure that local people are able to get surgery when they need it is incredibly important, so I’m thrilled we have secured this new investment. It will mark a step change in our efforts to reduce surgery waiting times and will help us deliver our vision of providing outstanding care for the people of Enfield, Haringey and beyond.”