Expansion for popular SW hospital

A popular hospital which just 18 months ago was threatened with closure, has turned its situation around to such an extent that it is developing a third operating theatre and an endoscopy suite.

Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre opened in Plymouth in April 2005 and treats NHS patients only – it is part of the choice offered to local NHS patients by their GPs when treatment is needed. It was one of the first independent sector treatment centres in the country and started out providing orthopaedic surgery and treatment to NHS patients across Devon and Cornwall.

Since then it has developed other services to include surgery and treatment for hernias, gall bladder and cataracts.

Since opening in 2005 the Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre has made a significant and positive impact on patient care and waiting times.

The third operating theatre, which will treat its first patients in January 2017, will allow the hospital to provide still more surgical procedures for local NHS patients. In all, in excess of an extra 1,000 NHS patients could be treated in the new operating theatre.

The endoscopy suite will allow Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre to offer a wider range of diagnostic and minor surgical procedures for a greater number of conditions. The endoscopy suite will have capacity for in excess of 3,500 NHS patients.

Both the third operating theatre and the endoscopy suite are being developed within the existing building where there is spare capacity.

Mark White, Interim Hospital Director at Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre, commented: “By investing more than £2 million in a new theatre and endoscopy suite we are not only preparing to meet local NHS treatment needs, but we are also investing in our commitment to the delivery of the highest quality treatment and care for local NHS patients. We are looking forward to maintaining and developing our working relationships with NHS partners in the region and to welcoming yet more patients to our hospital.”

Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre, currently run by Care UK, has an excellent track record in clinical effectiveness, cleanliness, the good management of waiting times and patient experience.

In August it outperformed the national average against all PLACE criteria (Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment. The hospital achieved 99.41% for cleanliness; 97.37% for privacy, dignity and wellbeing; 97.08% for condition, appearance and maintenance; 93.81% for food; 91.46% for dementia provision, and; more than 95.90% for disability provision.

Comments from patients posted on Facebook include: “wonderful treatment and care at Peninsula”; “I have never met more wonderful, caring hospital staff than those at Peninsula”; “everything about it was lovely the staff and cleanliness was second to none I would not hesitate to go there again”, and; “the place was spotless and the care was fantastic.”

The hospital most recently achieved a score of 97.7 per cent in the regular Friends and Family Test, where patients are asked to rate their treatment against a range of criteria and their willingness to recommend to friends and family.

More information is available by visiting www.peninsulatreatmentcentre.nhs.uk