Our new £40 million purpose-built unit, elective surgery hub, called the Sussex Surgical Centre, has opened its doors to its first patients.
The unit, located at Eastbourne DGH, offers state-of-the-art care for day surgery patients across all our surgical specialties and is the product of more than three years of collaboration between our clinical and operational colleagues in our DAS division and the Estates and Facilities teams.
The Centre features four new operating theatres, comprehensive pre-assessment, admission, and recovery areas and will deliver around 7,000 planned procedures each year. Operating ten hours a day, five days a week, patients are able to undergo their procedure and return home to recover the same day. The creation of this new facility not only increases our capacity for same-day elective surgery, but also frees up our existing theatres to carry out additional complex procedures.
Dr James Evans, Consultant Anaesthetist and clinical lead for the project, said: “This has been an enormous piece of work but we have created an amazing new facility that will help us to provide quicker, better care to our patients, help reduce our waiting lists and free up additional capacity in our main theatres.
“It was truly rewarding to work with colleagues in estates and facilities and across the trust and for all of us to come together to create something truly outstanding for patients.
“As well as the benefit to patients for their treatment, this new unit and the additional state-of-the-art equipment funded by the Friends of Eastbourne DGH will be a great place for me and my colleagues to work, to learn and to strengthen our skills. The up-to-date clinical environment will also be a real draw for new staff and help us to get the best quality applicants when we recruit into the team.”
Carla O’Donoghue, Senior Theatres Practitioner, said: “It’s been incredibly exciting to witness the transformation of this purpose built centre from mere drawings to videos into reality. For our patients it means shorter waits, less travel and safe day surgery followed by recovery in the comfort of their own homes. It’s a significant step forward for Sussex and I feel immense pride to be a part of this and so thankful to everyone who made this vision transpire – from the contractors and designers to the nurses, clinicians and managers who have worked tirelessly to bring this vision to life. It’s a huge asset for Sussex and especially Eastbourne”.
Adrian Knight, Acting Director of Estates and Facilities, said: “This has been a fantastic project to be a part of. Seeing the building take shape over the last two years to realise the clinical vision of our colleagues has been a real privilege for myself and the team and we are very proud in the part we have been able to play in improving care for our communities”.
Steve Aumayer, Deputy Chief Executive said: “Congratulations to everyone involved for their hard work in turning the clinical vision of delivering the best possible elective surgical care into reality. That you have managed to deliver this impressive project alongside your regular day-to-day duties is astonishing and impressive, and I can speak for myself and the Trust’s whole executive team when I say we are deeply grateful for your dedication in delivering this facility for our communities across Sussex.
“I’d also like to thank the Friends of Eastbourne Hospital who raised and donated a million pounds of equipment for the centre, meaning that we can provide a level of patient care and experience above and beyond the already high standards we had set for the SSC.”
