Our surgical hub at King George Hospital is one of eight to be awarded accreditation as part of a national pilot scheme.

The accreditation recognises our hub as one of the top performing in the country for delivering high volume, low complexity surgery across various specialities including ophthalmology, general surgery, orthopaedics, gynaecology, ear nose and throat, and urology.

Introduced during the pandemic, our hub is one of the initiatives contributing to the work we’re doing to reduce our waiting lists. Work has begun on the expansion of the hub which will include two new theatres allowing us to carry out an additional 16 operations per day.

Matthew Trainer, Chief Executive said: “I’m delighted our Elective Surgical Hub has been formally accredited. This is fantastic news for residents and for our staff who have worked tirelessly on addressing long waiting times for patients.”

The scheme is run by NHS England’s Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) programme in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Professor Tim Briggs, Chair of GIRFT and NHS England’s National Director for Clinical Improvement and Elective Recovery, was part of the team undertaking the hub assessments.

He said: “We have visited some excellent hub sites and we have been impressed with the professionalism and enthusiasm of the hub teams who are delivering outstanding care. All of the sites we accredited are focused on providing an excellent patient experience and several are setting new standards with regards to day-case surgery and innovative models of care.

“GIRFT’s focus is on developing surgical hubs with the aim of improving patient flow so that patients have shorter waits for surgery, will be more likely to be able to go home on the same day, and have a better patient experience.

“We want to provide the assurance for patients and staff that these sites are delivering safe and high-quality care now and will continue to accelerate their progress and productivity in the future.”