Theatres at Sidcup hospital are helping to boost elective capacity
Two new operating theatres at Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup are helping reduce waiting lists for patients in south east London awaiting routine procedures.
The new operating theatres have been refurbished by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, and are being run by Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust.
They are being used by surgical teams from Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust to carry out high volume, low complexity procedures, with anaesthetic support provided by Guy's and St Thomas'.
Waiting times for routine procedures and operations have increased as a result of COVID-19, and the creation of new theatres at Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup is just one of the steps being taken to speed up patient access to treatment.
Surgical teams from Guy's and St Thomas', King's and Lewisham are working collaboratively to ensure patients get the treatment they need as soon as possible. Operations carried out in the theatres include general surgery and gynaecology specialities, with the potential to carry out as many as 75 procedures a week.
This is the first time the different organisations, particularly Guy's and St Thomas', King's and Lewisham and Greenwich Trusts, working through the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, have come together to provide services in this way.
The South East London Acute Provider Collaborative is working on a wide range of programmes with the aim of improving patient care and increasing financial sustainability across the three organisations.
