Trust seeks £30m for hot/cold split of orthopaedic services

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust wants to split its emergency and elective orthopaedic services into “hot/cold” sites. It would create a new elective centre at Maidstone Hospital, while all emergency orthopaedic work would be carried out at Tunbridge Wells Hospital.

Splitting emergency and elective services has long been recommended by policy makers as a way of improving efficiency. HSJ understands that NHS England is also supportive of the plan.

The trust says the new centre would double its current elective orthopaedic capacity. This would mean a significant reduction in the outsourcing of orthopaedic patients to the private sector, which currently costs around £2.8m annually and is paid for using non-recurrent cash secured through the Elective Recovery Fund.

The extra capacity – which comprises around 2,500 extra elective orthopaedic operations – would also be available for other trusts in the ICS, and discussions are already under way with East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust over how the centre could be used to treat their patients.

According to MTWFT’s board papers, the trust also hopes the centre will help it cope with the 35 per cent expected growth in the number of over-65s in its catchment area over the next 15 years.

The “barn” approach – where several theatres are sited in the same room – will allow a centre of excellence to be developed, as well as creating capacity in Tunbridge Wells Hospital for other specialties such as gynaecology and ENT.

If funding is secured from the centre, the trust hopes to have the centre ready by September 2023.