Today we celebrate the anniversary of the opening of the elective surgery hub at Princess Royal Hospital and what a fantastic facility it is.
Nearly 5,000 patients – both adults and children – have had operations at the hub and it has helped us to reduce the waiting times for day case operations.
Patients requiring gynaecology, vascular, ophthalmology, orthopaedic, breast, upper GI, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and maxillofacial procedures as well as general surgery have been operated on.
A High Intensity Theatre (HIT) list was recently carried out at the hub to safely treat more patients waiting for a hernia operation. These procedures are planned and can be carried out on the same day.
The HIT lists are part of a trial of new ways of working to reduce the time patients are waiting for routine surgery, which saw 11 hernia operations safely carried out in a single day – the usual maximum on a standard list is six.
HIT lists focus on one type of procedure at a time, allowing for streamlined preparation, and maximising the number of patients being treated in one day.
We believe this is the highest number of hernia operations in a single day at the Trust. Well done to those involved as it shows great teamwork to deliver high quality care with a high level of efficiency and productivity.
It is also Volunteers’ Week and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers who make such a difference to our Trust and the lives of our patients, visitors and colleagues.
We have 234 active volunteers who support patients, their families and colleagues. In total, the volunteers gave 27,901 hours over the past year.
The volunteers come from a wide range of backgrounds, and the roles available are varied from greeting patients at the hospital entrance, offering telephone support to patients who have recently returned home, to helping in the Emergency Departments.
Included in those numbers we have a 90-year-old volunteer Terry Seston, youth volunteers and those who have taken part in Volunteer to Career (V2C) programmes, which give people an opportunity to explore a healthcare career and gain vital experience on what it is like to work within a department.
Juliette Fozing has recently completed the Volunteer to Career Midwifery programme (V2C) at the Princess Royal Hospital, which gave her a good insight not the diversity of roles within maternity.
Colleagues from our Hospitals Transformation Programme are holding a focus group session this week.
Today (Thursday 5 June) the group will discuss signage and wayfinding within the new healthcare facilities currently under construction at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
We want you to tell us what is important when it comes to healthcare services to help shape our plans for the future. Find out more information about the focus groups and how to sign up on our website.