'Super Saturday' of surgeries to tackle wait times

West Suffolk Hospital is offering Super Saturday surgery days to tackle patient waiting lists

A hospital team offered what it called a "Super Saturday" of 47 surgeries to tackle patient waiting lists.

West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, had 154 people on a carpal tunnel surgery waiting list towards the end of last month.

Carpal tunnel syndrome causes tingling, numbness or pain in the fingers, hands and arms due to pressure on a nerve in the wrist.

The NHS said Super Saturday on 22 February reduced the list by 30.5% which Dr Michael Dunne described as a "brilliant" effort.

Super Saturdays are part of the hospital's 12-month programme to reduce waiting times.

On the day, the teams made used of all three operating theatres in the day surgery unit with more than 20 members of staff involved.

"Carpal tunnel syndrome can be an extremely achy and painful condition... severely affecting everyday life," Dr Dunne, a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, explained.

"It is brilliant that through the efforts of our waiting list and clinical teams and a quick procedure, we can give so many people their lives back, helping them regain their independence and return to doing the things they love most."

Staff made use of all three of West Suffolk Hospital's operating theatres within the day surgery unit

The carpal tunnel surgeries came after two other Super Saturdays earlier in February for patients with eye conditions.

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust said more were planned "across a range of specialities" before the end of March, while another for more carpal tunnel patients was scheduled for 29 March.

Nicola Cottington, chief operating officer for the trust, thanked staff involved.

"This is another example of how we're innovating to provide our patients with the care they deserve when they need it most," she added.

"These minor surgical procedures are ideal for high-volume weekend working, which also releases capacity during the week for those patients requiring more extensive orthopaedic surgery."