New additional theatre leads to 1500 more operations at Forth Valley Royal Hospital

It is estimated that up to 1500 additional operations, both day and inpatient procedures, will now be able to be carried annually to support local and national plans.

Extra operating lists are already running in the hospital’s existing 15 theatres, including extended sessions over weekends.

NHS Forth Valley has recruited around 30 additional staff over the last year to help manage the increased theatre activity.

This includes theatre nurses, consultant anaesthetists, consultant orthopaedic surgeons as well as theatre practitioners, healthcare support workers and clinical team leaders.

The major £17 million investment forms part of national plans to reduce waiting times and increase capacity across NHS Scotland.

In addition to the two new theatres, a second MRI scanner was installed in the hospital in 2019 and an additional inpatient ward is also being created which will form part of a network of National Treatment Centres.

Marie Gardiner, head of ambulatory care, diagnostics and theatre services, NHS Forth Valley, said: “The theatre team have worked incredibly hard to open the new operating theatres and a wide range of additional clinical and support staff have been recruited over the last year to support this significant expansion.”

The number of operations being carried out at Forth Valley Royal Hospital is also continuing to rise each week as part of local remobilisation and recovery plans following the pandemic.

The number of patients with Covid-19 who require to be admitted to hospital has also reduced significantly over the last few months.

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