The Welsh Government has agreed funding of up to £29.4m for a new
Orthopaedic hub at Llandudno Hospital to help reduce orthopaedic
waiting times.
The new hub will transform elective orthopaedic services at Betsi
Cadwaladr Health Board and provide benefits for patients, staff
and the wider North Wales community, by delivering a planned
1,900 procedures a year.
Specializing in high volume, low complexity care, the dedicated
hub will increase annual surgical activity. by providing
orthopaedic services away from hospitals, it will reduce the
effects unscheduled care can have on elective treatment and
reduce the chance of surgeries being postponed.
The funding from Welsh Government will refurbish a vacant ward at
Llandudno hospital to create 19 extra bed spaces, two new
theatres and an eight bed enhanced recovery / Post-Anaesthetic
Care unit.
Work at Llandudno hospital will start in February 2024 with the
expectation that the hub will be operating at full capacity in
early 2025. Elective Orthopaedic services will continue at
Abergele Hospital until the new hub is built.
Once the hub is operational, patients who need an orthopaedic
procedure that require a short stay in hospital could be offered
their surgery at Llandudno. Patients will still be able to choose
to have their surgery at their nearest general hospital if they
wish.
The Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan said:
“This new orthopaedic hub will be of huge benefit to the people
of North Wales and the health board. People with orthopaedic
concerns often have the longest wait for treatment. This
investment was made because clinicians had demonstrated their
commitment to increasing productivity levels in orthopaedics in
Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board. This progress needs to be
maintained and a dedicated hub will help further reduce the time
people need to wait for treatment and maintain the increase of
the numbers in patients treated. As well as improving
patient outcomes I hope it will help the health board to attract
and retain staff and I look forward to the opening of this new
facility.”
Carol Shillabeer, Chief Executive at Betsi Cadwaladr University
Health Board, said:
“We are delighted that Welsh Government has approved our proposal
as this new Orthopaedic Elective Hub at Llandudno Hospital will
make a real difference to the people of North Wales and help us
to secure a facility for that will be protected from emergency
pressures.
“We believe that a dedicated orthopaedic hub will help us
increase our capacity for orthopaedic surgery and greatly assist
in reducing waiting times for people in communities across North
Wales.
“We would like to thank all colleagues who have been involved in
bringing this business case together and we look forward to
seeing the development begin in the New Year.”
Mr Madhusudhan Raghavendra, Clinical and Network Lead for
Orthopaedics in the Central area of the Health Board and
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon said:
“This announcement is a really positive step in our plans
to improve orthopaedic care across North Wales.
“Bringing together skills and expertise of staff under one roof
will not only reduce waiting lists for orthopaedic patients, it
also means we can free up space in the main hospital so other
patients, needing other types of treatment or emergency care can
benefit, cutting waiting times for them too.
“We have seen the benefits of these types of hubs across the UK,
and have already witnessed the benefits of this type of joint
working through our project at Abergele Hospital.
“As well as the benefits for our patients, having a hub such as
this in North Wales will help us attract high quality healthcare
professionals so we are very much looking forward to seeing the
work begin and treating our first patients in the hub towards the
end of next year.”
