From this month (January 2020), CUH will increase the number of available procedures at the Princess of Wales Hospital, from an average of 10 to 17 per day.
It will also offer Ear Nose and Throat (ENT), urology and breast services in addition to the orthopaedic, colorectal, oral (maxillofacial), plastic and general surgery already provided.
Samantha Lear, operations manager for Perioperative Care Services at CUH, explained: “Modern changes in medicine mean more surgical procedures can take place as day cases, rather than requiring an overnight stay.
“Transferring many of these straightforward surgical cases from Addenbrooke’s to Ely will allow us to focus on the more complicated procedures on the main CUH site. This should help reduce waiting times for all involved.
“Patients will get exactly the same levels of care – delivered by the same surgeons – as they would on the main CUH site, whilst benefitting from a more relaxed setting and free parking.”
The new service will launch on 6 January 2020 and is expected to be fully operational by April.
Princess of Wales Hospital, located on Lynn Road, Ely is a well-established and valued community hospital in the heart of Cambridgeshire. Run by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust, it also provides surgical services for Cambridgeshire University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and health and social care services for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.
The main hospital site is open from 7.30am to 8pm Monday to Friday. Patients will be notified where they need to attend for day surgery when they receive their appointment letter.