The brand new state-of-the-art surgical day case unit at St Luke’s Hospital is opening its doors to NHS colleagues, community partners and local people who have been involved in its development for a preview on Friday, 10 January.
The £19m building is due to start treating patients in February, helping to tackle and reduce the backlog of patients waiting for surgery.
It is separate to Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s main acute site at Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) and will solely deliver planned surgery. This means it will provide additional resilience to the NHS in Bradford and help future-proof this service for local people.
The day case unit will bring together the skills and expertise of staff under one roof – reducing waiting times for some of the most common procedures.
It will focus mainly on providing high volume, low complexity surgery including trauma and orthopaedics, general surgery, urology, gynaecology, plastic surgery and colorectal surgery.
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.
Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at the Trust, Saj Azeb said:
It is incredibly important to make sure that local people can get surgery when they need it, and the unit will help us deliver our vision of providing outstanding care for our communities across Bradford.
Improving quality and efficiency will mean patients have shorter waits for surgery, leading to improved health, quality of life and ability to get back to daily activities and work.
So, I’m delighted to invite people for a preview of this amazing unit to see and hear what services it will offer.
As the day case unit, made up of two theatres running six days a week, is separate 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.
The new building allows the Trust to provide a modern patient care environment. It will also help in its aim to be a champion in sustainability by using modern methods of construction and embedding new energy efficient technologies and fabrication processes.
With the demand for healthcare services higher than ever, the new unit will be able to extend and expand services for the local community while also providing employment opportunities ranging from nurses to support staff including porters and cleaning services assistants.