Patient praises ‘incredible care’ at Treatment Centre
A Derby patient who was offered a procedure at Burton’s Treatment Centre has thanked staff for their ‘fantastic care’ at the state-of-the-art facility, which is helping to ease pressures on waiting lists for elective recovery.
The Treatment Centre extension at Queen’s Hospital Burton recently celebrated its two-year anniversary providing elective care for those who need orthopaedic treatment within our community.
While there is still a backlog of patients waiting to be treated, staff at the state-of-the art facility have been working really hard to treat patients, with some travelling from Derby to be cared for at the Burton site.
One of those patients is Jane Palmer, who had been left in pain for 18-months after suffering from Arthritis.
Jane, who is a supermarket worker who lives in Mackworth, said she didn’t know Ward 801 and the orthopaedic theatres at the Treatment Centre extension existed until she got her appointment letter, but the standard of care she received was ‘fantastic.’
Jane said: “I didn’t realise they had these facilities at the Treatment Centre at Burton until I had my letter but it is brilliant.
“I am so glad I was treated there because I was worried that if I had my operation at Royal Derby Hospital it might get cancelled as there are patients who come in as an emergency.
“I was more than happy to travel to Burton to be seen quicker.
“And when I got my appointment letter I was so relieved to actually get a slot.”
Jane said she has been in pain with her knee for 18-months and it has had a knock-on effect on her life.
She said: “I have been in a lot of pain so this knee replacement will definitely improve my life.
“I’ve got a little dog that I take for a walk and I let him off his lead and he has to stop and wait for me because I’m so slow at walking. When we go on holiday we take the dog with us and do a lot of walking so it will be great to be able to do that again and not be in pain.
“I also want to be able to pick up my grandson Freddie who has just started crawling.
“I have been waiting for 18-months so I just feel fantastic that it has finally been done and I can get moving again.”
Jane said she is relieved to finally be on the road to recovery and wanted to thank the team who cared for her before, during and after her operation.
She said: “I was awake while they did the operation but I didn’t feel any pain whatsoever, I was chatting to the nurse who was lovely.
“Now I’m on the road to recovery and feeling fantastic
“Every nurse, every professional I have seen has been fantastic and so has my care.
“The staff can’t do enough for you, they are going backwards and forwards, really busy, but they’ve always got time for the patients. It has just been fantastic.”
Dr James Crampton, Interim Executive Medical Director, said the Treatment Centre and the new orthopaedic theatres and Ward 801 has and continues to play a vital role in helping patients receive their treatment in a timely manner.
He said: “Covid-19 has placed significant pressures on the Trust and others like ours across the country, so to have a resource like the Treatment Centre in Burton has been incredibly useful.
“We still have lots of people waiting longer than we’d like for routine procedures and we know that they’re still living in discomfort and pain, so for that we’re sorry.
“But we’re continuing to work really hard to clear the backlog of patients and I want to take this opportunity to thank the staff for their unwavering commitment, compassion and dedication.”
The orthopaedic theatres and Ward 801 in the Treatment Centre extension has seen more than 2,000 patients enter its doors for hip, knee or shoulder replacements and other orthopaedic operations since it opened on 15 June 2020.
Despite waiting times growing due to the effects of the pandemic, the team at the theatres and Ward 801, have been working hard and has played a key part in keeping patient wait times as low as possible, with almost 500 patients avoiding a two-year wait for a procedure thanks to their hard work.
The building extension not only increases the number of people who can have surgery at the hospital, it also means that for the first time patients are only cared for in the Main Building or the Treatment Centre, with no inpatient services in smaller old buildings on the site.
This extension is part of an ambitious plan to create a safe, strong and sustainable district general hospital in Burton. In addition to this £23m investment, the Outwoods area of the hospital has been granted £21.8m to create a healthcare village on site.