Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay has confirmed a further 50 new surgical hubs will open across the country as part of ongoing efforts to bust the COVID-19 care backlogs. The hubs will provide at least 100 more operating theatres and over 1,000 beds so people get the surgery they need. They will deliver almost two million extra routine operations to reduce waiting lists over the next three years, backed by £1.5 billion in government funding. This breaks down to over 200,000 extra procedures in 2022 to 2023, over 700,000 extra procedures in 2023 to 2024, and one million extra procedures by 2024 to 2025.
So far, locations for 20 new or expanded hubs have already been confirmed*, and bids for the remaining hubs are set to be considered over the coming weeks and months as more business cases are received to determine the new sites meet design standards.
Hubs will focus mainly on providing high volume low complexity surgery, as previously recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons of England, with particular emphasis on ophthalmology, general surgery, trauma and orthopaedics (including spinal surgery), gynaecology, ear nose and throat, and urology.
Located on existing hospital sites, surgical hubs bring together skills and expertise of staff under one roof - reducing waiting times for some of the most common procedures such as cataract surgeries and hip replacements. These operations can be performed quickly and effectively in one place. Improving quality and efficiency will mean patients have shorter waits for surgery, will be more likely to go home on the same day, and will be less likely to need additional treatment after surgery.
As the hubs are separated 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.
NHS Chief Executive, Amanda Pritchard, says: “Surgical hubs are a vital part of plans to recover elective services across England and these new sites will be a welcome boost in helping us to further tackle the COVID-19 backlogs that have inevitably built up over the pandemic.
“The NHS has made significant progress already, virtually eliminating two-year waits for care by the end of July and from surgical hubs to robotic surgery, our staff continue to find innovative ways to speed up care for patients.”
The hubs will also help address variation in performance between Trusts, as they are required to meet national standards on numbers of operations, the full use of theatre facilities, and ensuring patients are discharged on the same day as their operation. All of this will help to drive up performance across the country.
The government has worked with the NHS to identify which areas will benefit most from surgical hubs. The selection process for surgical hub locations is clinically led and aims to ensure the new hubs are connected to the right local services - such as acute hospital sites - and tackle local healthcare inequalities while promoting the best outcomes for patients and delivering value for taxpayers.
The new hubs will offer a mix of outpatient and admitted (including overnight or day case) surgeries. They will encourage the most efficient forms of surgeries, ensuring that fewer patients are kept overnight and saving more time to carry out additional operations.
Currently, 91 surgical hubs have already been opened, meaning that in total more than 140 hubs will be open across England by 2024 to 2025.
* The additional and expanded 20 hubs announced so far are:
New hubs: North Middlesex Hospital (London)
Western Eye Hospital (London)
Purley, Croydon University Hospital (London)
University Hospital Lewisham (London)
St Thomas’ Hospital (London)
The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore (London)
King George Hospital (London)
Homerton University Hospital (London)
Moorfields, various locations (London)
Friarage Hospital (NE & Yorkshire)
St Luke’s Hospital (NE & Yorkshire)
Dewsbury and District Hospital (NE & Yorkshire)
Addenbrooke’s Hospital (East)
Ipswich Hospital (East)
Colchester General Hospital (East)
Whiston Hospital (North West)
Expanded: Newham General Hospital (London)
Central Middlesex Hospital (London)
Princess Royal Hospital (Midlands)
Westmorland General Hospital (North West)
