March 16, 2022 9.30 pm This story is over 24 months old

Two new operating theatres for Grantham hospital after £5.3m investment

Doubling the available theatre capacity

It is anticipated that the new modular buildings will be ready for use this summer. | Photo: ULHT

Two new state-of-the-art operating theatres will be built at the Grantham hospital to double the available theatre capacity on site after a £5.3 million investment.

The modular theatres, along with associated preparation rooms, utility facilities and a six-bed recovery ward with an ultraclean ventilation system, will create additional theatre capacity for United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust to care for those in need of surgery in Lincolnshire.

Initial ground works for the new modular buildings began in November 2021. It is anticipated that they will be ready for use this summer.

The new modular buildings will increase the available theatre capacity by 50% at Grantham and District Hospital. | Photo: ULHT

The hospital currently has four theatres available for procedures across a number of specialities for patients from Lincolnshire.

Paul Matthew, Director of Finance and Digital at ULHT, said: “This exciting project represents a £5.3 million investment in surgery services.

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our Grantham teams have been pivotal in helping to ensure patients have been able to continue to access potentially life-saving procedures and once these new theatres are in place, it will increase our available theatre capacity by 50% on the site.

“This additional capacity, delivered by a dedicated and highly-trained team who can operate seven days a week, will support our efforts to reduce waiting times, with a proportion of this also dedicated to patients who require surgery for the treatment of cancer.”

An artist’s impression showing how the finished theatres will look. | Photo: ULHT

This development follows a further £3.2m investment for surgery in Lincolnshire during February 2022, through the installation of a new robotic assisted surgery system at Lincoln County Hospital.

However, it also comes at a time when ULHT is under increased scrutiny regarding Grantham Hospital after councillors launched a series of scathing comments on the trust’s proposals to centralise nuclear imaging in Lincoln.

The trust plans to close nuclear imaging used for bone and heart scans in Grantham, and possibly Boston too, with one centre remaining in Lincoln.