Thousands of additional operations and procedures a year could be performed at Newark Hospital thanks to an investment of £5.6 million.
The money will be spent on a new state-of-the-art theater and recovery area and the development of two minor operating rooms.
As a result, an additional 2,600 operations and procedures are expected to be performed each year.
The Newark Elective Hub will significantly reduce wait times, improve the patient experience and create new jobs for nursing and health care staff.
The expansion of the Newark Hospital site will also help address health disparities by providing services locally to patients who previously would have had to travel further afield for treatment.
“We know how much residents value Newark Hospital and we are committed to making the best use of the site and further improving the services we provide and the speed with which people can access them,” said David Ainsworth, director of strategy and partnerships. of Sherwood Forest. Hospitals and who oversees the operation of the Newark Hospital Trust.
“This project will allow us to perform more procedures in Newark, which will make it much more convenient for patients to get the care they need and help them get back to living a fuller life, faster, without having to travel to King’s Mill. or further.
“We are very interested in seeing as many residents as possible benefit from the wide range of procedures and services provided at Newark Hospital, so don’t forget to ‘Ask for Newark’ at the referral point with your GP or when you talk to your hospital team.”
The Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, received the money after a successful bid for NHS England’s Targeted Investment Fund.
The NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board is seeking the support of the Nottinghamshire County Council Health Scrutiny Committee, which is due to consider the proposals on January 10.
Sue Saddington, Chair of the Health Canvassing Committee, said: “This is very welcome news and I am sure Newark residents who speak highly of the hospital will be delighted to hear about this vast expansion project.
“£5.6 million is a substantial investment and I am delighted that they are bringing these vital services to Newark, which is a very good and efficient hospital, and it means that patients who live in the city will no longer have to travel. to other places in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire for treatment and certain operations.
“This is something that we as the Health Canvassing Committee have been asking for and I am very pleased with the level of commitment shown by Sherwood Forest Hospitals to deliver a project that will be an asset to Newark and its people.
“I look forward to discussing the exciting proposals with my colleagues on the Health Scrutiny Committee when we meet early in the new year.”
The project will create additional capacity in elective (non-urgent) care for urology, ENT, and breast surgery, which have the longest backlogs.
In addition, it will also allow clinically appropriate procedures to be moved from operating rooms to smaller operating rooms to free up space for larger procedures, in line with national initiatives.
As part of the project, the existing Minster Ward Minor Operations suite will be lead lined and an air handling unit will be installed to filter, heat, cool and condition the air. This will allow procedures like cataract removal and X-ray guided injections to be done there instead of in an operating room.
Additional minor operations, which could include bladder investigations, prostate biopsies, and injections for eye conditions, will take place in the current outpatient treatment room.
The funding will also provide new theater equipment and storage space, as well as additional changing rooms and break areas for staff.
Preparatory work is expected to begin in early 2023, with the theater expected to be on site in the spring and in use from the summer.
