Over 50 new surgical hubs set to open across England to help bust the COVID-19 backlogs

Over 50 new surgical hubs will provide at least 100 more operating theatres and 1,000 more beds to deliver millions more operations

These beds and theatres will help reduce waiting times and offer patients access to vital operations

Beds will be ring-fenced for planned operations, reducing the risk of short-notice cancellations

Over 50 new surgical hubs will open across the country to help bust the COVID-19 backlogs and offer hundreds of thousands more patients quicker access to vital procedures, the Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay has announced today.

These hubs will provide at least 100 more operating theatres and over 1,000 beds so people get the surgery they need. They will deliver almost 2 million extra routine operations to reduce waiting lists over the next 3 years, backed by £1.5 billion in government funding. This breaks down to over 200,000 extra procedures in 2022 to 2023, over 700,000 extra procedures in 2023 to 2024, and 1 million extra procedures by 2024 to 2025.

They will focus mainly on providing high volume low complexity surgery, as previously recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons of England, with particular emphasis on ophthalmology, general surgery, trauma and orthopaedics (including spinal surgery), gynaecology, ear nose and throat, and urology.

Located on existing hospital sites, surgical hubs bring together skills and expertise of staff under one roof – reducing waiting times for some of the most common procedures such as cataract surgeries and hip replacements. These operations can be performed quickly and effectively in one place. Improving quality and efficiency will mean patients have shorter waits for surgery, will be more likely to go home on the same day, and will be less likely to need additional treatment after surgery.

As the hubs are separated from emergency services, surgical beds are kept free for patients waiting for planned operations, reducing the risk of short-notice cancellations and improving infection control.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:

In order to bust the COVID-19 backlogs and keep pace with future demands, we can’t simply have business as usual. Surgical hubs are a really tangible example of how we are already innovating and expanding capacity to fill surgical gaps right across the country, to boost the number of operations and reduce waiting times for vital procedures.

We have already made progress in tackling the longest waiting lists to offer patients quicker access to treatment, and these new surgical hubs will in their own right deliver additional operations over the next 3 years, including over 200,000 this year alone.

NHS chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, said:

Surgical hubs are a vital part of plans to recover elective services across England and these new sites will be a welcome boost in helping us to further tackle the COVID-19 backlogs that have inevitably built up over the pandemic.

The NHS has made significant progress already, virtually eliminating 2 year waits for care by the end of July and from surgical hubs to robotic surgery, our staff continue to find innovative ways to speed up care for patients.

The hubs will also help address variation in performance between trusts, as they are required to meet national standards on numbers of operations, the full use of theatre facilities, and ensuring patients are discharged on the same day as their operation. All of this will help to drive up performance across the country.

The government has worked with the NHS to identify which areas will benefit most from surgical hubs. The selection process for surgical hub locations is clinically led and aims to ensure the new hubs are connected to the right local services – such as acute hospital sites – and tackle local healthcare inequalities while promoting the best outcomes for patients and delivering value for taxpayers.

So far, locations for 20 new or expanded hubs have already been confirmed, and bids for the remaining hubs are set to be considered over the coming weeks and months as more business cases are received to determine the new sites meet design standards.

The new hubs will offer a mix of outpatient and admitted (including overnight or day case) surgeries, delivering nearly 2 million additional procedures over the next 3 years, equal to 12% of all elective activity in 2019 to 2020. They will encourage the most efficient forms of surgeries, ensuring that fewer patients are kept overnight and saving more time to carry out additional operations.

Currently, 91 surgical hubs have already been opened, meaning that in total more than 140 hubs will be open across England by 2024 to 2025. This includes:

the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre contains 5 state-of-the-art operating theatres and accepts patients from all over the UK. It performs approximately 5,200 procedures a year, 3,000 of which are joint replacements

another hub at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has increased surgical capacity by 25%, with improvement plans now in place to significantly reduce cancellations

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has cut down the length of stay for patients undergoing hip and knee replacements, resulting in an average reduction of 2 days and allowing more people to go home the day after surgery

The government has committed £5.9 billion in capital investment to support elective recovery in the coming years. Along with surgical hubs, the NHS is changing the way diagnostic services are delivered by opening over 90 community diagnostic centres across the country in locations such as football stadiums and shopping centres.

They have already delivered over 1.6 million checks, tests and scans, offering patients a range of healthcare services closer to home. By 2025, up to 160 will be up and running.

Thanks to these innovative approaches, significant progress has already been made in tackling waiting lists. Earlier this month, the NHS announced that waits of over 2 years for routine treatment have been virtually eliminated, except where patients chose to wait longer, did not want to travel to be seen faster, or for very complex cases requiring specialist treatment.

This was the first target set out in the Elective Recovery Plan in February and NHS staff continue to make progress on reducing long waits – with a drop of almost one third in people waiting 18 months or more for care since January.

Background

The surgical hubs are funded as part of the £1.5 billion allocated at the Spending Review in 2021. This funding is also upgrading existing hubs.

Regional breakdown of projected additional activity and funding:

Region

Funding

Cumulative elective activity (2022 to 2023 and 2024 to 2025)

Cumulative outpatient activity (2022 to 2023 and 2024 to 2025)

East of England

£189 million

75,000

10,900

London

£265 million

155,600

207,800

Midlands

£288 million

151,700

98,300

North East and Yorkshire (NEY)

£230 million

120,200

83,200

North West

£188 million

153,400

70,300

South East

£218 million

181,300

125,200

South West

£170 million

50,700

1,700

Elective activity refers to day cases and overnights. Outpatients is non-admitted activity, such as, a procedure that would only be under local anaesthetic.

The additional and expanded 20 hubs announced today are here:

Region

Location

New or expansion

London

North Middlesex Hospital

New

London

Western Eye Hospital

New

London

Purley (Croydon University Hospital)

New

London

University Hospital Lewisham

New

London

St Thomas’ Hospital

New

London

The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (Stanmore)

New

London

King George Hospital

New

London

Homerton University Hospital

New

London

Various locations across North Central London (Moorfields)

New

NEY

Friarage Hospital

New

NEY

St. Luke’s Hospital

New

NEY

Dewsbury and District Hospital

New

East

Addenbrooke’s Hospital

New

East

Ipswich Hospital

New

East

Colchester General Hospital

New

North West

Whiston Hospital

New

London

Newham General Hospital

Expansion

London

Central Middlesex Hospital

Expansion

Midlands

Princess Royal Hospital

Expansion

North West

Westmorland General Hospital

Expansion

The 91 surgical hubs currently operational are:

Region

NHS trust

Hub name

North West

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS FT

Clatterbridge Hospital

North West

Pennine Acute Hospital NHS Trust

NCA Childrens Hub - Royal Oldham Hospital

North West

Pennine Acute Hospital NHS Trust

Fairfield General Hospital

North West

Manchester University NHS foundation trust

Trafford Hospital - Elective Hub

North West

Wrightington,Wigan and Leigh NHS FT

Wrightington Hospital (GM Specialist Orthopaedic Centre)

North West

Manchester University NHS FT

Withington Hospital

North West

Blackpool Teaching Hospital NHS FT

Blackpool Victoria Hospital (Ophthalmology Surgical Unit)

North West

Lancaster Teaching Hospital NHS FT

Chorley and South Ribble Hospital

North West

East Lancashire Hospital NHS Trust

Burnley General Hospital

North West

East Lancashire Hospital NHS Trust

Royal Blackburn Hospital

North West

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS FT

Westmorland General Hospital

NEY

Northumbria Healthcare NHS FT

Alnwick Infirmary

NEY

Northumbria Healthcare NHS FT

North Tyneside General Hospital

NEY

Northumbria Healthcare NHS FT

Wansbeck General Hospital

NEY

Northumbria Healthcare NHS FT

Hexham General Hospital

NEY

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS FT

University Hospital of Hartlepool

NEY

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Castle Hill Hospital

NEY

York Teaching Hospital NHS FT

Bridlington and District Hospital

NEY

Harrogate and District NHS FT

Harrogate and District NHS FT

NEY

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS FT

Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital

NEY

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS FT

Goole and District Hospital

NEY

Barnsley Hospital NHS FT

Barnsley Hospital

NEY

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT

Northern General Hospital (Sheffield DSU)

NEY

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT

Northern General Hospital (Balborough Treatment Centre - Sheffield Hand Centre)

NEY

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT

Northern General Hospital - Ophthalmology

NEY

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS FT

Calderdale Royal Hospital

NEY

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS FT

Calderdale Royal Hospital

NEY

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Chapel Allerton Hospital

NEY

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Wharfedale Hospital

Midlands

The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS FT

Royal Orthopaedic Hospital - Surgical Centre

Midlands

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS FT

Solihull Hospital Elective Hub

Midlands

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust

Walsall Manor Hospital

Midlands

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust

Cannock Chase Hospital

Midlands

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust

Birmingham Treatment Centre (City Hospital)

Midlands

George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust

George Eliot Hospital - Day Proc Unit and Day Case Theatres

Midlands

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

University Hospital (Coventry) - Rugby

Midlands

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

University Hospital (Coventry) - University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire Day Surgery Unit

Midlands

South Warwickshire NHS FT

SWFT Warwick Hospital

Midlands

South Warwickshire NHS FT

Stratford Day Case

Midlands

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS FT

Ilkeston Community Hospital

Midlands

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS FT

Sir Robert Peel (SRP) Community Hospital

Midlands

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS FT

Burton Hospital Treatment Centre

Midlands

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS FT

Kings Treatment, Royal Derby Hospital

Midlands

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Alexandra Hospital Elective Hub

Midlands

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

Glenfield Hospital - Elective Hub

Midlands

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

LLR Alliance Community Hospital - Elective Hub

Midlands

United Lincolnshire Hospital NHS Trust

Grantham and District Hospital - Elective Surgical Hub

Midlands

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS FT

Newark Hospital (King’s Mill Hospital) - Elective Hub

Midlands

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital - Cataract Suite (Copthorne Building)

East of England

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS FT

CUH at Princess of Wales Hospital

East of England

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS FT

Addenbrooke’s Hospital (Cambridge Eye Unit)

East of England

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

St Albans City Hospital Elective Hub

East of England

Mid and South Essex NHS FT

Braintree Community Hospital

London

St George’s University Hospitals NHS FT

St George’s at Queen Mary’s Hospital

London

Croydon Health Services NHS Trust

Croydon University Hospital

London

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust

South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre

London

King’s College Hospital NHS FT

Orpington Hospital

London

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

Queen Mary’s Hospital Sidcup

London

London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust

Central Middlesex Hospital

London

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Charing Cross Hospital

London

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS FT

Chelsea and Westminister

London

The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS FT

Hillingdon - Mount Vernon Treatment centre

London

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS FT

West Middlesex Elective Hub

London

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital

London

University College London Hospitals NHS FT

UCLH - Grafton Way

London

Royal Free London NHS FT

Chase Farm Hospital

London

Moorefields Eye Hospital NHS FT

Moorfield Eye Hospital - St Ann’s

London

Moorefields Eye Hospital NHS FT

Moorfield Eye Hospital - City Road

London

Royal Free London NHS FT

Edgware Community Hospital

London

Whittington Health NHS Trust

The Whittington Hospital

London

Barts Health NHS Trust

Whipps Cross - Plane Tree

London

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust

King George Ilford - Queens Hospital

London

Barts Health NHS Trust

Newham General Hospital - BHOC

London

Homerton University Hospital NHS FT

Homerton University Hospital

South West

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS FT

Sulis Hospital - Bath - Elective Surgery Hub

South West

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust

Royal Cornwall - St Michael’s Elective Hub

South West

Royal Devon and Exeter NHS FT

Nightingale Hospital Exeter - Elective Surgery Centre

South West

University Hospitals Dorset NHS FT

Christchurch Hospital - Dermatology Unit

South East

Royal Berkshire NHS FT

West Berkshire Community Hospital

South East

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

Wycombe Hospital

South East

Oxford University Hospitals NHS FT

Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (NOC)

South East

Royal Berkshire NHS FT

King Edward Vii Hospital (Prince of Wales)

South East

Frimley Health NHS FT

Heatherwood Hospital

South East

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust

Lymington Hospital

South East

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust

Queen Alexandra Hospital

South East

Hampshire Hospitals NHS FT

Andover War Memorial Hospital

South East

Hampshire Hospitals NHS FT

Basingstoke General Hospital

South East

Hampshire Hospitals NHS FT

Winchester County Hospital

South East

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

Maidstone Hospital

South East

Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital NHS FT

Ashford Hospital

South East

University Hospitals Sussex NHS FT

Sussex Orthopaedic Treatment Centre