Construction begins on new Bristol surgery centre
Once finished it will accommodate 6,5000 non emergency operations a year
Work has begun to build a new non-emergency surgery centre in the West Country.
The Elective Centre is being built at Southmead Hospital in Bristol at a cost of £49.9 million, thanks to a partnership between the city's two NHS Trusts.
Supported by Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board and NHS England. It will enable an additional 6,500 operations to be carried out across the area every year.
North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) chief executive Maria Kane said: "We are delighted to be working with our partners to bring nearly £50 million worth of investment to the area’s NHS.
"Once completed this Elective Centre, will transform and improve the way we provide elective care and enable us to treat our patients faster."
The state-of-the-art facility is being built by specialist healthcare construction firm Darwin Group and is due to open in Spring 2025.
It will have four surgical theatres and 40 beds for patients to recover, as well as 12 medirooms (where patients prepare for, and recover from, surgery) and X-ray facilities.
The additional capacity will also enable more patients to be seen in existing theatres at NBT and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Trust (UHBW) sooner.
As the centre will be separated from emergency services the surgical beds will be kept free for patients waiting for planned operations, reducing the risk of short-notice cancellations.
Professor Stuart Walker, UHBW Interim Chief Executive Officer, said: “This Elective Centre will improve patients' experiences of planned surgery, enabling them to receive life changing treatment sooner and spend time in better health with their loved ones.
“We are excited that work has started on the centre and look forward to continuing our collaboration with partners across Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire to develop and deliver the Centre and services for our patients.”
Hospital bosses say modular units will be constructed offsite to deliver the project up to 60 per cent faster and with up to 90 per cent less waste than traditional building methods.
Once groundworks have been completed, the prefabricated units will be brought to Southmead Hospital to construct the building.
David Jarrett, Chief Delivery Officer at NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB, said: “We’re excited to see work begin on a state-of-the-art centre for elective surgery.
"One of our key priorities as a health and care system is to reduce waiting lists and ensure people get treatment sooner, which this centre will play a key part in.
“This project is a collaboration involving partners from across our health and care system and shows our shared dedication to enhancing services in the area.”