Success at Treatment Centre as staff help 2,000 patients in two years
Staff at Queen’s Hospital Burton’s Treatment Centre have celebrated two successful years treating patients in the community for elective procedures.
The state-of-the-art Treatment Centre 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 Treatment Centre and its ward, Ward 801, has 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.
Richard Young, Lead Practitioner in Orthopaedic Theatres based in the Treatment Centre, said that the team has been able to keep the area ‘Covid-free’ during the pandemic, allowing patients to continue to have their procedures despite other work having to be paused due to rising numbers of Covid-19 patients.
He said: “As the unit is separate from the main hospital site, we were able to commence keep carrying out orthopaedic operations during the pandemic, allowing patients in the local community to receive their operation without waiting any longer. While other hospitals had to convert their elective orthopaedic wards due to Covid patients needing the beds, this didn’t happen here.
“We have a fantastic unit here and by working together we can continue this legacy and improve further for the benefit of our future patients.”
The Treatment Centre opened following a £23 million investment forming part of an ambitious plan to create a safe, strong and sustainable district general hospital in Burton, meaning 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.
The unit is fully fitted with a modern laminar flow theatre and has been utilised by theatre teams from both Burton and Derby to allow procedures to continue throughout the pandemic. Work is also beginning to understand if other treatment can also be provided out of the Treatment Centre to further cut down on waiting times for patients.
The team recently marked the two year anniversary of the opening of the Treatment Centre and Tracy Elson, Ward Clerk on Ward 801, said the move from the Orthopaedic Ward to the Treatment Centre has been a huge success: “I’ve worked in orthopaedics for 18 years and moved here with all the staff from Ward 19. I’m not usually one for change, but it has been a change for the better, and I enjoy working on here as we all work as a team and help each other. It is a lovely environment to work in.”
Dr James Crampton, Interim Executive Medical Director, said the Treatment Centre 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 Treatment Centre and some of its staff will appear on BBC East Midlands Today this evening at 6.30pm.