Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) opened a brand-new mobile theatre unit on 4th March as part of plans to increase the number of patients the hospital is able to see and treat.
The new mobile facility, supplied by Vanguard Healthcare Services, houses both a day case theatre as well as a dedicated short-stay recovery ward, ensuring patients can be seen and treated in the same location on the same day. The unit is located to the rear of Ward 24 and while it will not be connected to the hospital, is positioned close to the Trust’s other surgical facilities, ensuring patient care, experience and flow is optimised.
The introduction of this unit is another way the hospital is increasing its elective (planned) activity, following other successful initiatives launched last year such as the Super Paediatric Surgery Days – providing dedicated days for paediatric surgery – as well as the introduction of High Volume Low Complexity lists, where more patients can be treated over a shorter space of time.
The unit will enable the Trust to perform a range of day case general surgery operations as well as some dental, urology and gynaecology procedures.
Emma Livesley, Chief Operations Officer at MKUH, said: “We are delighted to be able to bring in this new facility to ensure that our patients receive the treatment they need in a timely manner. We recognise patients are waiting longer than we would like and this is one of several ways in which we are reducing those waiting times, improving both the care and experience that our patients receive.”
There will be no change for patients when attending the hospital. Patients should continue to arrive as normal and will be directed to the most appropriate location for their treatment.
Max Lawson, National Account Manager at Vanguard Healthcare Services, said: “It’s great to be helping the Trust with such ambitious and important plans, shortening waiting times and providing the local community with high-quality care across a range of specialities.”
