New surgical unit to double number of operations

A new surgical unit is set to double the number of operations carried out at a North Yorkshire hospital.

Six new operating theatres have been created at Friarage Hospital in Northallerton as part of a £35.5m project.

The unit also includes two minor theatres and a surgical admission and day hub.

Consultant Craig White said it had been designed from the "bottom up" to be more efficient and give patients a better quality of service.

"It's a very exciting time for all of us I think," he said.

"These are all brand new state-of-the-art facilities for us to decrease the risk of complications and improve patient outcomes."

One of the first patients set to receive an operation in the new unit is 54-year-old Jason Sykes.

The former mechanic, from Catterick, previously underwent a hip operation and has waited nine months for his other hip to be operated on.

"The pain took me out of work," he explained.

"I needed both of them doing. I got one done, I've waited nine months and then hopefully this one will go to plan, I can recover and then get a job again.

"Just having one done has got me moving like I should, but the second one will help me get my life back."

After looking around the new facility he said he "couldn't ask for more".

"I live in Catterick so when my partner comes to visit it's 20 minutes rather than going to James Cook, which is an hour," he added.

"It is a big difference."

According to clinical operational lead Andrew Murray the Friarage Hospital was originally built in the late 1930s as an RAF Hospital.

"Some of these theatres have been here since the early 1940s, with later additions in the 1980s for the Falklands War," he said.

"As much as we love these theatres and they've had several renovations, it's time to retire them and move on to our new ones."

Previously, the unit had problems with leaking roofs, drains and faults with ventilation.

Now the operating theatres have robotic technology and controls to adjust the local temperature, as different procedures require different climates.

Sarah Baker, head of clinical services, said the unit currently carried out 5,000 operations each year but the new facility would hopefully double that over the next five years.

She said the Friarage would focus on elective care, including orthopaedics, urology, gynaecology, ENT and plastics.

"Up at the acute sites, patients could often be cancelled for emergencies," she said.

"This facility is completely ringfenced so the staff can't be moved from here.

"That means we won't cancel patients for those reasons, which is a great experience and a lovely environment for the staff to work in as well."

The hospital received funding to build the new operating theatre block as part of government investment in 50 UK surgical hubs.

The first operations are due to take place on 12 June.

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