MEOC is a collaboration between Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (DBTH), Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust. Together, the organisations have created a dedicated orthopaedic hub to provide additional capacity and improve access to planned surgery for people across South Yorkshire.
The accreditation scheme is led by NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme, in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons of England and supported by the Royal College of Anaesthetists. It assesses surgical hubs against a national framework designed to support faster access to common procedures, including hip and knee replacements, while assuring patients of consistently high standards of care.
MEOC is one of just 69 surgical hubs to be accredited so far, out of 126 currently operating across England.
The £14.9 million centre was completed in December 2023 and welcomed its first patients in January 2024. It provides a dedicated environment for planned orthopaedic surgery, including hip and knee replacements, as well as procedures for the hand, wrist, foot, ankle, arm and shoulder.
Patients from all three partner trusts can choose to have their surgery at MEOC or at their local hospital, helping to increase flexibility and reduce waiting times across the region.
Located at Montagu Hospital in Mexborough, the centre benefits from being a ‘cold site’, meaning it does not provide emergency care. This allows surgical beds, theatres and teams to be protected from wider hospital pressures, reducing the risk of short-notice cancellations and improving patient flow.
Surgical hubs like MEOC play a key role in national plans to increase elective care capacity. By separating planned operations from emergency services, they enable more efficient use of theatres and support shorter waits for surgery.
Professor Tim Briggs, GIRFT programme lead and NHS England’s National Director for Clinical Improvement and Elective Recovery, said: “We have been impressed with the professionalism and enthusiasm of the hub teams who are delivering outstanding care.
“All of the sites we accredited are focused on delivering safe and high-quality care, and an excellent patient experience. GIRFT’s focus is on developing surgical hubs with the aim of improving patient flow so that patients have shorter waits for surgery and, for some procedures, will be more likely to be able to go home on the same day.”
Thank you to all colleagues working at MEOC for your continued hard work and dedication in delivering exceptional care for patients across South Yorkshire. Your commitment has been central to the centre’s success and it is fantastic to see this national recognition.
