Elective Surgery Centre - North Shore Hospital

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A $39 million dollar elective surgical centre is set to help cut waiting times at North Shore Hospital. The unique concept will offer non-emergency surgery for up to 6000 operations each year. Straight forward operations like knee and joint replacements will be offered in the two-storey clinic due to be complete in 2012. It will have 40 beds, four operating theatres and staffed by a team of 80 clinicians. The concept centre is based on similar project used by the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. Latest government health target reports show Waitemata District Health Board is already performing above expected elective surgery access rates.

The government wants to increase the volume of elective surgery by an average of 4000 patient discharges each year. The latest development is part of the government's plan to build 20 elective surgery theatres nationally over five years. Waitemata's chief executive Dale Bramley says a new elective surgery pilot programme at Waitakere Hospital has cut back patient waiting times. Waitakere has increased the number of operations being performed each day and offers a quicker recovery unit, Dr Bramley says. "Patients who have all had knee operations are put in the same recovery room which makes for a faster recovery."

North Shore's new centre will mean more patients will be able to have surgery within their own health board and closer to home. Patients will receive an appointment for surgery during their consultation, saving on time. It will be offered as a training facility for junior doctors, but will not be reliant on having them, he says. The new centre will follow the hospital's Lakeview development, which includes a 50-bed assessment and diagnostic unit and new 34-bed emergency department at a cost of $48m. It opened earlier this year.

In addition, a $9.2m dialysis centre opened last month providing in-centre renal dialysis for people with kidney failure. Construction has began on a 1200 multi-storey carpark building at the hospital. The building will be located in what was the patient and visitor parking area. The new surgical centre will be to the left of the building.

10 months ago