The visit follows DBTH’s recent success in securing several multi-million pound investments to redevelop and introduce new services at both its Bassetlaw Hospital and Montagu Hospital sites.
Led by Richard Parker OBE, Chief Executive at DBTH, the tour commenced by visiting the newly opened Endoscopy Unit within the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) and Mexborough Elective Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence (MEOC), both located within Montagu Hospital. These facilities provide specialist healthcare services to residents within Bassetlaw, Barnsley, Doncaster, and Rotherham, previously only accessible within busy acute hospital settings.
Construction on the new endoscopy suite began in March 2023 and was completed in November 2023, and is located within the prominent ‘rotunda’ section of Montagu Hospital – a rounded area of the building above the Minor Injuries Unit. In total, the Trust has received funding of just under £25 million to develop the CDC, of which £9 million was used to create the new endoscopy suite, with an imaging suite to follow in the coming months.
At present, the service is available to patients in Doncaster and Bassetlaw, however from mid-2024, the team will also care for individuals from Rotherham and Barnsley. In all, the Trust anticipates that by September 2024, around 1,600 procedures will have been carried out within the state-of-the-art facility.
The tour then proceeded to the MEOC, a collaborative effort between DBTH, Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and The Rotherham Foundation Trust. Specialising in orthopaedic procedures, this centre offers reliable surgical appointments for local residents, safeguarded from the impact of seasonal pressures.
The MEOC is part of a national initiative to reduce waiting lists and will be one of two orthopaedic surgical hubs sponsored by the South Yorkshire Integrated Care System (ICS). The project was delivered following investment of just under £15 million, with construction beginning in July and completed in December 2023.
The service will operate 50 weeks a year, starting as a five day a week service, increasing to six days once running to full capacity, expected by mid-2024. It is anticipated that knee and hip replacement patients will be able to go home the same day as their surgery, in line with national best practices.
Continuing the tour, the group visited Bassetlaw Hospital to see the ongoing developments aimed at providing a new emergency department. Chris Hopson was given a tour of the purpose-built unit being constructed, funded by a £17.6 million pledge from the UK government. The project aims to enhance emergency care services for the Bassetlaw community, alongside enabling 24/7 inpatient paediatric care.
Speaking about the visit, Chris Hopson said: “I want to thank colleagues for taking the time to showcase the various developments at Montagu Hospital and Bassetlaw. It was fantastic to see the impressive new capital projects they have undertaken. These investments represent a commitment to providing high-quality healthcare services for the community, and it’s encouraging to see such innovative approaches to improving patient care.”
For more information about new capital projects at DBTH, please visit: www.dbth.nhs.uk/news