The business plan for Hampshire’s new elective hub has now been approved by NHS England moving it a step closer to completion.
The new elective hub, which will be based in the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, will provide more capacity and allow more operations to take place therefore improving access to elective surgery and reducing the elective backlog across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Adults across Hampshire and Isle of Wight who require operations for orthopaedics (such as hip and knee replacements) will be eligible to attend the new elective hub. Operations taking place at the hub would be in addition to surgery already taking place at our hospitals across Hampshire & the Isle of Wight. Initially patients in Southampton and Hampshire, will be offered the choice of having their operation at either their local hospital or the hub. In the future patients from Portsmouth and on the Isle of Wight may also be given the same opportunity.
The hub will deliver an additional 2,400 procedures each year, will operate six days a week with consultants from both University Hospital Southampton and Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust operating on their patients in the Hub.
Julie Maskery, Strategic Projects Director at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are delighted that NHS England has approved the business case and the funding for this exciting collaborative project which will benefit many people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
“The elective hub will provide a new way of working for orthopaedic surgery and approval from NHS England is a significant milestone in the delivery of this new and exciting programme.”
Planning and design work is well underway, and the programme is collaborating with the contractor Integrated Health Projects (IHP) and AD Architects to develop the building specification. The plans involve refurbishing a floor within the Burrell building in the Royal Hampshire County Hospital to create two theatres and the associated inpatient facilities.
At the same time as developing the plans for the new elective hub, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is also developing proposals to build a new outpatient facility specifically for orthopaedics.
Scheduled to open in early 2025, this is part of the Trust’s ongoing commitment and investment into services in Winchester.
The new department will provide eight outpatient rooms; a co-located plain film x-ray service with an adjacent treatment room; and four fracture clinic assessment booths with an adjacent two bay plaster room. Activities delivered in the Orthopaedic Outpatient Facility will include:
- Specialist advice and support, clinical consultation, diagnosis, and treatment planning and delivery for orthopaedic patients.
- Therapy consultation, diagnosis and treatment in conjunction with a multi-disciplinary Allied Health team, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and dietetics.
- Application and removal of plaster casts.
By co-locating services and increasing the footprint of clinic rooms, the Trust will significantly reduce how long patients have to wait for an elective outpatient appointment. Once up and running, they aim to reduce the average wait from 9 weeks currently to below 5 weeks for patients to be seen for a first appointment following a referral to the service.
The “one-stop” model will also reduce the number of follow-up appointments by delivering the care patients need in just one appointment, with teams working side by side.
The business case for the new orthopaedic outpatient facility was also approved by NHS England and will provide additional capacity for patients to be assessed, treated and reviewed – reducing the number of patients waiting for care.
The Trust is in the process of engaging further with staff, patients and public on the construction and design of the building and would very much appreciate your involvement by completing their survey here.
Dr Lara Alloway, Chief Medical Officer for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board said: “These two developments will provide a significant benefit to residents across our two counties and is a positive step forward in reducing our backlog for elective surgeries. Waits for orthopaedic surgery is one of the biggest challenges across Hampshire, so by using the hub to focus on our orthopaedic patients, we can work in partnership to reduce the waiting times for surgery.
“We are working hard to improve our services and we are confident that the elective hub and the new orthopaedic outpatient facility will play a significant role in achieving this.”
Steve Brine MP said: “This is further significant investment in Winchester Hospital and it’s very welcome. I will go on, and on, doggedly making the case for the Royal Hampshire County Hospital with Ministers and the NHS.”
Final sign off for the programme is expected in October 2023.