Leeds hospital upgrades planned to tackle operations backlog

Chapel Allerton Hospital is one of those earmarked for expansion

Plans have been unveiled to expand two Leeds hospitals to tackle the NHS operations backlog.

On Tuesday, councillors were told additional facilities could be added to Chapel Allerton Hospital and Wharfedale Hospital in Otley.

Subject to planning permission, the Wharfedale plan would include two new operating theatres, a recovery area and an admissions and discharge area.

The move would allow more non-emergency surgeries to take place.

Figures from NHS Digital show 90,000 patients are waiting for treatment from the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT), the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

At the end of April, around 63% of patients needing treatment had been waiting 18 weeks or more.

LTHT chief executive Phil Wood said the expansion plans would help reduce the waiting list.

Speaking at a meeting of Leeds City Council's health scrutiny board, he said: "We've got work under way in the planning stage at Chapel Allerton and Wharfedale Hospital, which will be in development during the (next) year to provide additional operating theatre capacity in those parts of the city. This will allow us to improve our backlog position."

The trust said the plans at Wharfedale Hospital alone would cost £10m and would see an elective care hub built on the site.

It was expected the work would be completed in 2024.