Hospital performs record number of ops in one day

Surgeons at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham performed a record number of operations in a single day in an effort to help cut waiting times.

The ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgical team operated on 10 children on the same day last month, removing tonsils and adenoids - double the usual daily number.

It was done as part of a High Intensity Theatre (HIT) list which are designed to safely cut the backlog for non-emergency surgery caused by the pandemic. They focus on one type of routine surgical procedure to limit surgeon down-time.

ENT consultant David Pennell said: “We had one team operating on a patient while the other team was getting the next child ready for their anaesthetic.

"To ensure no theatre time was lost, we also had back-up patients lined up in case there were any cancellations.

"ENT surgery, particularly tonsillectomies, make up the bulk of our paediatric waiting list."

Jayne Black, chief executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust, described it as an example of “excellent team work".

She said: “Thanks to everyone’s efforts our waiting list for tonsillectomies is reducing, and with the team planning to host future HIT lists for this procedure, the backlog will be cleared sooner."