A new Ayr hospital will create an extra 12 beds and two operating theatres in a bid to deal with the crippling orthopaedic surgery waiting list.
NHS Ayrshire & Arran chiefs have lifted the lid on Carrick Glen Hospital which, once opened, will become a National Treatment Centre (NTC) to deal with the backlog of elective surgeries.
It is understood health chiefs hope the facility can open in two years ahead of the predicted date in 2025.
South Scotland MSP Sharon Dowey raised questions over the new facility after the purchase of the private facility was announced by Health Secretary Humza Yousaf last month.
Ms Dowey raised concerns over what Carrick Glen could provide probing the number of operating theatres, if additional staff would be needed, and if intensive care beds would be provided, and whether or not the facility would be expanded.
Health bosses have now told how the hospital will be set up to deal with mostly day surgeries, with additional treatment and consulting rooms and two new state-of-the-art theatres.
A spokesperson confirmed to Ayrshire Live that there will be no intensive care beds at the new facility.
Nicola Graham, director of infrastructure and support service said: “The existing Carrick Glen Hospital will be extensively refurbished and extended, and the completed National Treatment Centre (NTC) will have an area around double the existing facility’s current floor area.
“This will provide two operating theatre suites to the latest technical standards, as well as additional treatment and consulting rooms to significantly increase the elective orthopaedic capacity within NHS Ayrshire & Arran.
“The number of inpatient beds will be between 10 and 12 beds. However, the majority of procedures will be day-case patients.”
Ms Dowey said last week how she wrote to Mr Yousaf urgently asking for answers.
Ms Dowey said: “It’s great that Ayr is getting a national treatment centre but this is a long overdue announcement.
“Waiting times have fallen well short of target for years now under the SNP so this centre is long overdue.
“The backlog is huge so we urgently need answers to these questions. That’s why I’ve written to Humza Yousaf to get further details.”
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf SNP said Carrick Glen will be part of 10 National Treatment Centres which will deliver an extra 40,000 procedures a year and will see the recruitment of an additional 1,500 staff.
Mr Yousaf said: “We know that the pandemic has taken its toll on services like orthopaedics, but the network of NTCs will help address this and will be central to NHS recovery.
“That’s why we’ve set out £1 billion of targeted investment over the next five years to increase NHS capacity, deliver reforms in the delivery of care, and get everyone the treatment they need as quickly as is possible.
“I would like to again thank the NHS Ayrshire & Arran team for their continued hard work and determination to progress the new centre during a time of continued significant pressure.”
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