Thousands of extra operations at new surgery site

Surgeons perform a hip replacement operation at the new Kent and Medway Orthopaedic Centre

More than two thousand extra operations a year could be performed at a new surgical centre in Kent, health officials say.

The Kent and Medway Orthopaedic Centre at Maidstone Hospital has 24 beds and three state-of-the-art operating theatres.

The centre cost about £39m and will provide planned orthopaedic surgery to patients from across the Kent and Medway region.

Syed Ahmed, a consultant surgeon at the centre, said: "There is increased efficiency and patients receive a higher quality of care."

The centre has been built separately from the main hospital building and the emergency department.

It will focus on "specially designed" care for patients having planned orthopaedic surgery for arthritic conditions and soft tissue injuries affecting the bones and joints.

The new surgical hub has three operating theatres in the same room, with a specialised air canopy around each station to improve infection control

The centre has three operating theatres located in one room, which is referred to as a "barn theatre".

Officials say surgery can continue even at times of peak demand, which will free up beds in the main hospital for patients needing emergency care.

Ritchie Chalmers, deputy chief medical officer for NHS Kent and Medway, said the new centre was an opportunity to reduce "waiting lists across the board".

The centre is part of a national scheme to deliver more than 50 new surgical hubs across England.