University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) is delighted to have launched a new £2.5 million operating theatre at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI).
The new operating theatre was officially handed over by the contractors to the Trust on Friday 30 October with a go live date of Monday 2 November. It features the latest design and technology to enhance care for patients and create a vastly improved working environment for staff.
The new theatre has been built to provide capacity while existing operating theatres at the RLI are being refurbished and upgraded. The project was managed by the UHMBT Capital Services Team and the building work was funded with Public Dividend Capital (PDC) from the Department of Health.
Danny Bakey, Deputy Associate Director of Operations for the Critical Care and Surgical Care Group at UHMBT, said: “We are very excited that the work on the theatre is now finished and that we can use it to provide additional capacity. The theatre will give us much more flexibility and offer us facilities that will deliver an enhanced experience for our patients and staff.”
The completion of the new theatre means that there are now seven operating theatres in Lancaster - five main theatres and two theatres in the Women’s Unit. The new theatre is sited between the Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) at the RLI and the existing operating theatres.
Mark Hampton, Capital Services Manager for UHMBT, said: “Our Trust has invested £2.5 million to ensure that all our theatres meet stringent modern standards.
“This new modular theatre was particularly challenging given its location between the Centenary Building and the Ambulatory Care Unit and the Coronary Care Unit. A special thanks to the contractors and especially to all our clinical and non-clinical departments which have allowed Capital Services to complete this vital addition. This new theatre will allow the Trust to carry out a planned refurbishment of the existing four operating theatres in the Centenary Building without disrupting clinical activity.”
Kate Maynard, Chief Operating Officer for UHMBT, said: “The new theatre will enable us to retain our operating capacity while important upgrading work is taking place. We can now offer a significantly enhanced experience to patients who come to us for surgical care.
“We would like to thank all of the contractors and our colleagues for their excellent work throughout the construction process. We now have an operating theatre that has the most advanced technology and design to ensure the highest levels of safety, care, experience and performance.”
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