Innovative theatre lists reduce waiting times for patients
Surgeons at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford have completed two high-intensity theatre lists in a single day.
The initiative is designed to cut down the time patients wait for planned operations. Twenty patients received routine day-case surgery during the “HIT lists.”
This is the first time The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) has run two of these lists at the same time.
How it works
The HIT lists are planned in advance by a specialist team. They choose specific patients and streamline the process. This allows surgeons to operate on more people safely.
The operations took place in the Elective Surgical Hub at PRH. They focused on low-complexity procedures such as gall bladders, hernias, and colorectal surgery.
Mr Adam Farquharson, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, said: “HIT lists are routine, low complexity lists and are super-efficient and safe. They improve a patient’s pathway through the theatre which then allows us to do more cases on each list. The team works together to plan the day to minimise the turnaround time between cases, enabling the surgeon more time to operate.”
Patient feedback
Kevin Metcalfe, 64, was the first patient on the list. He travelled from Shrewsbury for his procedure.
He said: “I checked in at 7.30am, in surgery by 9am and I was wide awake at 10am. It has been a really slick and efficient process, and the staff have been fantastic. I feel tremendous.”
Cutting the backlog
The Trust is working to offer quicker treatment for patients across Shropshire, Telford, and mid Wales.
Mr Saurav Chakravartty, Consultant Upper GI and Bariatric Surgeon, said: “We have managed to run lists so that we have three to four patients extra on the lists – it has taken a huge amount of organisation by all our teams. This is positive news for our patients needing routine operations as they are having their treatment much quicker.”
New data shows that 64.1% of patients at SaTH are now seen within 18 weeks of their referral. This is an improvement as the Trust uses new methods to maximise the number of people treated.
