Three new operating theatres for orthopaedic and spinal procedures have opened at Neath Port Talbot Hospital and patients are already going under the knife. The theatres are expected to make a dent in long waiting lists in Swansea Bay for things like hip, shoulder and back surgery which lengthened further during the coronavirus pandemic.
The operations have started and while Swansea Bay University Health Board is still recruiting staff to work in the complex it said recruitment has gone better then expected. The building also comprises five pre-assessment rooms, accommodation for staff to change, rest rooms and a seminar room.
Orthopaedic consultant surgeon and clinical adviser to the project, Paul Williams, said: "The three new theatres have been built quickly and efficiently to meet the exacting standards of modern day orthopaedic and spinal surgery." They will, he said, allow some complex spinal surgery to take place away from the under-pressure acute hospital at Morriston, Swansea. He added that waiting times in the area remained too long and that patients came to harm as a result.
