New surgical centre will help cut waiting times and speed up treatments for thousands of local people

A new ‘game changing’ surgical centre has opened in St Albans, which will help cut waiting lists, deliver faster treatment and better care for thousands of local residents across West Hertfordshire.

The state-of-the-art complex, part of a £100m upgrade of the hospital, includes four new theatre which will deliver around 2,300 extra operations each year. 

The theatres are 50% bigger than existing theatres and have been ‘future proofed’ so robotic surgery, laser equipment and other pioneering treatments can be incorporated.

St Albans MP Daisy Cooper officially opened the centre yesterday afternoon (Thursday, October 22) after donning scrubs to speak to surgeons about the new theatres and hearing about the benefits they will bring to local patients.

The new theatres – which boosts the overall theatre capacity to eight at the hospital - will be used for a wide range of procedures including urology, breast surgery, and ear, nose and throat operations.

The hub’s robotic surgery technology will allow surgeons to operate with greater precision, which will mean less pain and a faster recovery for patients in some cases

Not only will the new theatres mean more operations and shorter waiting times, but patients should also be able to get home sooner. West Herts aims to get all patients home within 24 hours by providing the support patients need to help them recover, and by ensuring they are well prepared before their operation.

And because this centre is ‘ring-fenced’ for planned operations, it means patients will not face having their appointments cancelled because of new pressures or emergencies which then delay their treatment.  These operations, which are not booked in advance, will be managed at Watford General.

Daisy Cooper, MP for St Albans, said:

“I'm so pleased that St Albans patients are set to benefit from this amazing new surgical centre.

“Being ill and needing an operation can be a very anxious time: it can disrupt sleep, caring arrangements, family life, work and personal finances.

“The benefits that this new centre will bring - precision surgery, being able to return home sooner and recover faster - will genuinely improve people's health outcomes and their quality of life.

“It was a real privilege to join the St Albans City Hospital team to open this state-of-the-art centre, as a vital investment in our local healthcare services.

“A huge thank you to all of the incredible hospital staff working hard to care for all of us here in St Albans, and for showing me around this exciting new centre.”

Matthew Coats, chief executive of West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said:

“Every improvement we make is always driven by the simple aim of delivering better care and a better experience for our patients.

“This amazing, new facility will mean more operations, for more people and will help drive down waiting lists. And we aim to get patients home – where they want to be – as quickly as possible after an operation, where it is safe to do so. This has the potential to be a real game changer and deliver the first-class services our communities deserve.

“I’d like to thank all our incredible teams at St Albans who have worked with such dedication and passion to get us to this exciting milestone in our journey, which is part of a wider £100m programme of improvements on site.”

The centre has already received national recognition for its delivery of high standard clinical care and operational practice, through NHS England’s Getting it Right First Time programme.

It assesses surgical hubs against national standards to help improve patient care and provide faster access to common surgical procedures such as cataract surgeries and hip replacements.

SACH is one of 92 hubs to date to have been accredited with 125 hub sites currently in operation in England.

Earlier this year, a new state-of-the-art Community Diagnostics Centre (CDC), opened at St Albans. It acts as a "one-stop shop" for patients needing tests and diagnosis.

The new facilities form part of a major investment in St Albans City Hospital, which will also include new endoscopy and urology units.