Elective Surgical Hub

New Daycase Unit promises shorter waiting lists for Herefordshire patients

We’re recruiting enthusiastic new colleagues to help us run an exciting initiative at Hereford County Hospital which is set to cut waiting lists for patients when it opens its doors later this year.

The new £21 million Daycase Surgical Unit is rising from the ground and changing the skyline at Hereford County Hospital.

The types of procedure that will be offered in the new unit include a mix of day case surgeries, including gynaecology, urology, general surgical, orthopaedic and cataract procedures.

Providing this type of surgery in a dedicated environment will boost productivity, improve patient outcomes and reduce waiting times, as well as reduce pressures on staff by moving elective surgeries that currently take place in the main hospital to the new site.

Capacity in the new Daycase Surgical Unit will be ring-fenced for planned operations, reducing the risk of short-notice cancellations.

The introduction of state-of-the-art equipment in a purpose-built, dementia-friendly, environment will vastly improve our patients’ experiences and will provide a fit-for-purpose and therapeutic environment to deliver modern healthcare – better for our patients and our staff members.

Mehmood Akhtar, Consultant Urological Surgeon and Associate Medical Director (Surgery), said: “This new facility has the potential to make a huge difference for our patients who will be able to be seen and treated in modern, state-of-the-art facilities.

“We appreciate the inconvenience cancelled procedures can have on patients and this new facility will go some way to help prevent the need to delay care and treatment. This is incredibly exciting for us and we’re looking forward to receiving our first patients later this year.”

Alan Dawson, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer, said: “The demolition of the last of our 1940s hutted wards has made way for this unit which will effectively be a standalone facility. It will be run in a way that means it won’t be affected by sudden pressures in our Emergency Department, which have curtailed routine elective procedures in the past.”

Funding for the new unit has come from government coffers as part of a national scheme to deliver almost two million extra routine operations across 50 new facilities nationally, which will incorporate at least 100 new operating theatres and more than 1,000 beds.

The new Daycase Surgical Unit is situated within the main hospital grounds to minimise travel times for both staff and patients.