Work has begun on new £14.9 million hospital unit

WORK started this week on a new £15 million hospital unit in Mexborough aimed at becoming a major hub for up to 2,000 key operations a year.

The elective orthopaedic centre at Montagu Hospital will be a base for hip and knee replacement inpatient procedures alongside foot and ankle, hand and wrist, and shoulder day case surgery.

Known as the Montagu Elective Orthopaedic Centre (MEOC), the facility will feature two state-of-the-art theatre units, two anaesthetic rooms and a recovery suite plus 12 inpatient beds.

It will benefit from being near to rehabilitation services and the Community Diagnostic Centre at the hospital, which the managing Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Trust said would enhance local diagnostic capacity for illnesses such as cancer.

A spokesperson said: “In the first year of operation, it is envisaged that the centre will undertake over 2,000 orthopaedic procedures on behalf of the three partner trusts - equating to about 40 per cent of the current orthopaedic waiting list locally.”

Montagu Hospital is defined as a “cold site” meaning it does not provide emergency services.

The spokesperson said: “This means that, despite peaks in activity, the MEOC will be ring-fenced and protected against the usual cancellations and postponements which can, unfortunately, be common as staff are moved elsewhere to help manage emergency pressures, particularly in winter.”

Construction is due to take up to seven months to complete, with the new centre opening to patients early next year.

Jon Sargeant, executive director of recovery, innovation and transformation at the DBTH trust, said: “This is a fantastic development and will see us significantly reduce the waiting list for operations such as knee and hip replacements, as well many other elective orthopaedic procedures

“Working with our partners at Barnsley and Rotherham, we will be able to offer state-of-the-art facilities in a setting which is immune from the usual cancellations we often see within hospital settings.

“Furthermore, it will help to outline our ambitions for Montagu Hospital as a centre of excellence for elective and diagnostic care, ensuring we are making the most of the site, and its unique and accessible location within the Dearne Valley.”

The hospital trust said analysis by South Yorkshire Integrated Care System revealed the region’s waiting list has grown by two-fifths since March 2020.

Bob Kirton, deputy chief Executive at Barnsley Hospital, said: “This investment provides an excellent opportunity for the people of South Yorkshire to benefit from easier access to the services and care that they need.

“I am really looking forward to the unit opening in the coming months.”

It is hoped that, with shared staffing and additional capacity, the centre will operate on patients from across the region.

Michael Wright, deputy chief executive of The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Rotherham Hospital, added: “The development of the Montagu facility will have a real positive impact on the patients of all three trusts by providing additional capacity to improve waiting times and treating patients in a new state of the art dedicated facility.”

Ranjit Pande, clinical director for trauma and orthopaedics at DBTH, and clinical lead for the project, said: “This is a wonderful development for the people of South Yorkshire, and a testament to our commitment to work together to do our very best for local patients.”