Royal sees first of two new theatres opening
The first of two additional operating theatres will open at Forth Valley Royal Hospital on Monday June 24 as part of a major new plan to increase diagnostic, surgical and inpatient capacity.
Extra operating lists are already running in the hospital’s existing 14 theatres, including extended sessions over weekends, enabling hundreds of extra operations to be performed.
NHS Forth Valley has successfully recruited 13 theatre nurses, four consultant anaesthetists and two consultant orthopaedic surgeons to help manage the increased theatre activity. Further staff will be recruited over the next few months to support the opening of the second new theatre which is due to come on stream later this year.
It is estimated that up to 1500 additional operations, both day and inpatient procedures, will be able to be carried out each year once both theatres are up and running.
A new MRI scanner is also due to be installed in the hospital in the next few weeks and additional inpatient beds will also be established on the hospital site to support the increased theatre activity.
The major £17 million investment forms part of the Scottish Government’s National Waiting Times Improvement Plan and national elective care centre programme.
Figures published last year showed waiting times for inpatient and day case appointments were the worst in the country. Between January and March 2018 only 56.1 per cent of NHS Forth Valley patients in that category were seen within the 12-week target time, compared with 75.9 per cent across Scotland.
Orthopaedic, general and vascular surgery were said to have been experiencing particular high demand.
The £17 million investment, however, will help fund the two new theatres and MRI scanner and there are also plans to expand existing day surgery facililities and create a new inpatient ward to help increase bed capacity.
The new MRI scanner, the second to be purchased for the hospital, will enable around 8,000 additional scans to be carried out each year.
Liz MacLeod, NHS Forth Valley’s Theatre Manager, said: “Credit is due to the entire theatre team who have worked incredibly hard over the last six months to ensure the first new theatre opens on time.
She added: “Everyone is very excited about the expansion plans and we are delighted to have successfully recruited additional theatre nurses, orthopaedic surgeons and anaesthetists to support this major new national development.”