New operating theatre at Infirmary

A NEW operating theatre is set to open at Rochdale Infirmary in 2024, to offer more treatment to day patients.

Opening in early 2024, it will be the hospital’s ninth theatre, offering procedures to patients who arrive at and leave hospital on the same day, with no need for an overnight stay.

The hospital will be able to treat more patients for general surgery, vascular surgery, gynaecology, urology, oral and maxillofacial, orthopaedics, plastic surgery, and pain medicine when the theatre opens.

Costing around £5 million in investment it will also create 100 new jobs including doctors, nurses, operating theatre staff and porters. Construction is due to start in January.

Steve Taylor, Chief Officer at Rochdale Care Organisation, part of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to offer another theatre at Rochdale Infirmary.

“Many patients have been incredibly patient, waiting for procedures that maybe had to be postponed or couldn’t go ahead during the Covid pandemic.

“That isn’t the experience we wanted to offer our patients.

“We don’t want our patients having to wait long periods of time for their surgery and an extra theatre will undoubtedly help speed up waiting times for day case surgery.”

“The new theatre also represents the biggest infrastructure project at Rochdale Infirmary in the last two decades.”

Rochdale Infirmary currently has eight day case operating theatres, two dedicated to ophthalmology, and the remaining taking a mix of specialities delivering High Volume Low Complexity surgery (HVLC) seven days a week.

Rochdale Infirmary’s theatres also treat patients from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust at the weekends and patients from the Christie NHS Foundation Trust during the week.