Background
The dedicated day treatment centre at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne's Freeman Hospital opened its doors in September 2022.
Purpose-built, the facility was part of a nationally-funded surgical hub initiative designed to address the nationwide waiting list backlog left by the COVID pandemic.
Newcastle Hospitals have worked to meet that challenge by achieving efficiencies in elective surgery, through a combination of specifically designed facilities, investment in equipment and new operational approaches.
Designed Centred on Capacity and Patient Flow
Part of the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the day treatment centre has a 12-bay admissions unit, four theatres (each with their own anaesthetic room), a recovery area and discharge lounge.
Opening in 2022, the Freeman Day Treatment Centre also has a triangular structure, which facilitates a circular patient flow inside the building.
As Matron Jayne Billings explained: 'The centre is designed to enhance smooth and efficient patient flow, with two theatres having specialist air flow systems which provide higher infection control for procedures such as joint replacement and neurosurgery.
'We have plenty of storage areas, meaning we can keep the patient spaces clear. This makes it easy to keep the whole environment clean, uncluttered and calm which is good for everyone.'
When it came to equipment for the new unit, the Trust opted for Anetic Aid's QA4 Mobile Surgery Systems which combine the functions of an operating table and a patient transport trolley.
The principle is that the patient can get onto the platform by themselves before being wheeled into the anaesthetic room, the on to theatre for their procedure and finally on to recovery until they are ready to home (not forgetting a final important part of the patient journey - tea and toast!).
For the unit, the final stage is a full clean down, ensuring the trolley is ready for the next patient.
Reduced Manual Handling and Transfer Time
The systems allow for reduced manual handling - patient transfers aren't required and there are powered functions to position the platform for the different surgeries.
Time is also saved on set up, which is more convenient due to the ability to adjust the trolley remotely using a handset rather than using levers or pedals.
The trolleys - or surgical stretchers as they are often called - are suitable for a wide range of procedures when traditional operating table accessories are added.
At the day treatment centre, the teams have 24 models on which they carry out general surgery, urology, gynaecology, plastics (including breast surgery), cardio procedures, endoscopy and some orthopaedics such as knee replacement, ACL repairs and shoulder surgeries.
Innovation That Never Stands Still
Jayne said: 'We are an innovative unit and are always looking to improve. Our aim is to work as efficiently as possible and reduce waiting times for as many patients as we can, while retaining high standards of care and providing a really positive experience for patients and the staff in our team.
''We are doing everything we can to reduce 'downtime' in our theatres, which are one of the most expensive assets in the NHS. This includes working in a streamlined way, investing in the right equipment and trialling new software to help visualise any spare capacity in the system and help with maximising the number of procedures we can carry out. For me, the quality of patient experience is a priority and we're doing that well at the day treatment centre, which I am really proud of.
'We love to share and are always very happy to welcome teams from across the NHS to show them what we are doing here.'
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