'I was looked after and kept informed': First patients impressed with new £24million surgery hub

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) that runs the Princess Royal (PRH) and Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals (RSH) secured a £24million investment to build the hub as part of its plans to improve care.

Open all year round, the dedicated care facility will offer thousands more operations each year. The centre features four modern operating theatres as well as new recovery areas and beds, and will enable more than 3,500 additional day case procedures to be undertaken per year.

Patients requiring gynaecology, vascular, ophthalmology, breast, upper GI, ear, nose and throat (ENT), maxillofacial procedures and general surgery will be treated in the hub.

The trust says that nearly 300 patients, including adults and children, have already undergone their planned operations at the new facility since it opened on Monday, June 10.

Matron for day surgery, Clare Marsh, is extremely pleased with the new hub and how the hub has operated so far.

She said: "The hub is a wonderful purpose-built facility that provides a modern healthcare environment for our patients coming in for planned day surgery.

"We strive to ensure that our patients have the best care and hospital experience. We are engaging with our patients daily and asking for their valued feedback so that we can continue shape and improve the services that we provide.

"We are so pleased that we have received excellent feedback so far."

Deputy medical director, Dr Steve McKew, added: "This is a fantastic investment in our PRH hospital site, and it is brilliant to see the hub open and already making a huge difference for our patients.

"Planned care services will be provided in the hub all year round, which means we are able to significantly increase the number of same day operations that can take place. This is great news for our patients who will have much shorter waits for their treatment."

The trust is the main provider of acute hospital care for nearly 500,000 people from Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and mid Wales.

Jayne Hunt was the first patient to undergo treatment at the two-storey hub, and was impressed with after her experience.

"The new hub is amazing," said Jayne. "Right from the offset, I was well looked after and kept informed. It is a great facility and I'm sure that every patient after me will have the same opinion."