19 December 2019
A mobile recovery unit is now in place at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford with the first patients being seen from this week.
The Vanguard Unit, situated towards the rear of the hospital, has been brought in to help alleviate the impact that winter pressures have on day surgery – same day surgery that does not require an overnight stay.
The capacity offered by the mobile facility will allow SaTH, which runs PRH and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH), to ensure continuity of access to a number of surgical specialities, including Ear, Nose and Throat and Oral Surgery.
Kath Preece, Head of Nursing for Scheduled Care at SaTH, said: “We have used Vanguard Units successfully in the past – most recently at RSH earlier this year.
“This mobile unit allows us to plan for patients to receive their day surgery procedures over the winter months. This is good news for our patients as it means that we will be able to treat a cohort of suitable patients, without the risk of their treatment being cancelled due to winter pressures.”
Neil Rogers, Assistant Chief Operating Officer for Scheduled Care at SaTH, said: “The deployment of the unit is crucial at this time of year when the volume of people using our services increases; and it is likely to remain in use until April.”
The mobile unit offers space for up to seven day surgery patients at a time.