Four mobile operating theatres that opened at a South London hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic are set to shut down, in a move expected to save the local NHS trust more than £3 million a year.
The temporary surgery treatment centre opened in the car park of Queen Mary’s Hospital, in Roehampton, in 2021, and was granted permission earlier this year to stay open for another almost five years.
The theatres were set up at Queen Mary’s for elective operations and day procedures, to help tackle the backlog of operations that built up in the Covid-19 pandemic.
A letter from the trust in 2024, submitted with the application to keep the centre open up to December 2029, said the theatres had been a “great success” and helped to slash waiting times from 26 weeks in 2021 to 17 weeks in 2024.
However, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust now plans to shut the temporary theatres and move services to an expanded day surgery unit at St George’s Hospital, in Tooting.
The theatres are expensive to run, and would require major investment to plug them into a permanent power supply, while moving activity to St George’s around 5.5 miles away is expected to save the trust more than £3m a year.
The expanded day surgery unit at St George’s is set to offer evening appointments, more video consultations and remote monitoring to free up face-to-face hospital appointments where needed.
Lower-risk procedures that only need local anaesthetics, like carpal tunnel repair, are set to be made available in nearby treatment rooms to reduce wait times.
The LDRS understands the trust is also reviewing the function and scope of the enhanced primary care hub at Queen Mary’s, which treats minor injuries and illnesses.
No decisions have been made so far, and any proposals would be subject to consultation.
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