Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust (BHRUT) has secured £14m in Government funding to expand the Surgical Hub at King George Hospital, which will include two new theatres, upgraded staff facilities, improved storage, and double the number of recovery beds.
The Surgical Hub played a huge role in ensuring BHRUT could continue to get patients the care they needed during the pandemic, especially when it ran as a Covid-protected ‘green zone’ with enhanced testing and isolation for patients.
It also enabled ‘Super Surgeries to be carried out, where a much higher volume of operations is carried out across a week, helping to reduce waiting lists.
Thangadorai Amalesh, BHRUT Divisional Director of Surgery, said: “This is one of the most exciting investments I’ve seen for local people, and will help us to dramatically reduce waits experienced by patients for surgery.
On average, we’ll be able to do around eight additional operations per day which will have a huge impact for patients. It will help people get the care they need, reducing pain and helping them get back to living fuller lives, faster. Not only that, these new, modern facilities will future-proof our Surgical Hub, ensuring it’s able to house the latest technology including surgical robotics.”
Work is due to get underway on the expansion of King George Hospital at the end of this month and it is due to finish around spring 2024.
The expansion is part of the Department of Health and Social Care’s plan to provide more Surgical Hubs across the country to help reduce the backlogs caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Surgical Hub at King George Hospital has been a great trailblazer of effectiveness.
It was praised by Professor Neil Mortensen, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, during a visit in December 2021, as well as showcased in a report by the college calling for them to be rolled out more widely in July this year.
