Newcastle's Freeman Hospital opens rapid-surgery centre

Orthopaedic, urology, general surgery, pain management and stent removal procedures will be carried out at the new centre

A new unit designed to get patients in need of operations in and out of hospital quickly opens later this week.

Four operating theatres, alongside admissions and recovery areas, make up the £24m centre at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

The facility will allow less complex surgery to be carried out in a day, with patients able to recover at home.

It is hoped the new unit will help reduce the huge backlogs caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nationally, around one in eight people are waiting for operations and other types of care.

NHS England data shows there were 6.84 million people on the waiting list at the end of July, pre-pandemic the figure was around 4.2 million.

Consultant surgeon David Rix expects appointments at the centre will be unaffected by winter pressures

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust says the new centre will "free up thousands of slots" in the hospital's main operating theatres for more complicated operations.

It believes that appointments in the new centre will "rarely need to be rearranged" as it is self-contained.

Consultant surgeon David Rix said: "We're hoping and expecting exactly that will be the case, we would expect this winter to bring challenges but we would expect this day treatment centre to continue functioning throughout this time."

Operations which will be carried out include cartilage and joint repairs for knees and hips, pain relief injections, treatment for bladder and kidney problems, hernias and minor plastic surgery.

A team of about 200 members of staff will work at the centre

Rachel Lonsdale, from the treatment centre, said: "Patients will come in the morning or early afternoon and have a short stay in the admissions unit before being taken to theatre for their procedure.

"Afterwards, once they are fit enough to be discharged, they'll be allowed to return to the comfort of their own home."

The development, construction and recruitment of about 200 staff at the centre has been completed in under a year.