A MAJOR milestone has been reached following the cutting of the first sod at the site of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s new elective hub and orthopaedic outpatients department in . A ceremony at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital was attended by colleagues and supporters of Hampshire Hospitals, with the trust’s chief executive Alex Whitfield joining MP Steve Brine, city council leader Martin Tod and Jason Griffiths, regional director for Integrated Health Projects. The elective hub and orthopaedic outpatients department, which are both due to open in 2025, will help to provide more capacity for patients requiring orthopaedic operations, such as hip and knee replacements.
The elective hub will deliver an additional 2,400 procedures each year, improving access to elective surgery and reducing the backlog. The facility will operate six days a week with consultants from Hampshire Hospitals and University Hospital Southampton coming together to deliver this work for patients from both trusts. The new orthopaedic outpatients department will then provide further elective capacity, significantly reducing how long patients will wait for an elective outpatient appointment.
A “one-stop” model will also reduce the number of follow-up appointments by delivering the care patients need in just one appointment, with teams working side-by-side. Ms Whitfield said: “These projects are incredibly important for our patients in Winchester and beyond, allowing us to deliver m.
