Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust have deployed two mobile operating rooms to maintain patient access to services during the refurbishment of two of their permanent operating rooms.
They will provide the hospital's clinical team with a working clinical environment while their rooms are out of action. The mobile rooms, which feature laminar flow air ventilation systems to provide ultra-clean air suitable for invasive surgical procedures, will be on site for approximately 26 weeks.
While the units are at the Trust, the hospital's NHS surgeons will perform all surgeries. The Trust's own staff will also be caring for patients before and after their surgery. This means that patients will continue to receive treatment in a local acute setting. It also avoids the need for them to travel long distances to alternative hospital sites during the refurbishment.
The mobile rooms will primarily provide capacity for orthopaedic procedures. These are some of the most in-demand surgeries in the modern NHS, with over 240,000 procedures in 2016/17. This is an increase of over 20,000 in comparison to the prior year. As we live longer, and the population also grows older, demand for these procedures is only set to increase.
Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust have taken this growing need into consideration. As a proactive measure, they deployed mobile units to prevent a backlog of patients forming on the waiting list. This continued access to a vital service will support patients in receiving quicker treatment for often painful and life-limiting conditions.
The units arrived at the hospital in the early hours of the morning on Saturday 1st September, minimising disruption to the site. They are now undergoing a clinical commissioning period to ensure the environment is of the highest possible standard in advance of receiving patients.
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