September was our first ever focussed gynaecology month, entitled ‘Phoenix 2’, where we held 24 additional all day theatre sessions, operating every Saturday and Sunday in our Elective Surgical Hub at King George Hospital.

It was to help tackle our gynaecology waits, particularly as our waiting list for women’s health related care is our biggest, with many waiting longer than they should to get the care they need.

Throughout the month, 123 women were treated, with 80 per cent of surgeries being major procedures. Operations included hysterectomies, endometriosis cases, urogynaecology procedures (such as for bladder incontinence and vaginal prolapse), myomectomies for removing fibroids, ovarian cystectomies (removal of cysts), and operative hysteroscopies (inside the womb).

Nancy Karicho (above), 53, was among those treated, having a hysterectomy on Sunday 22 September. She had initially been offered an operation to remove fibroids in 2021 but was too scared to come into hospital at the time due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

She said:

“I saw a consultant in 2021 when I was very uncomfortable, I looked five months pregnant and frequently needed the toilet as the fibroids pressed on my bladder.

“However, I was scared of Covid and around the same time was accepted into university to study healthcare and then mental health as part of a career change following almost two decades managing a care home. I decided to postpone the operation and go to uni. I didn’t realise fibroids could multiply so quickly.”

Nancy, of Dagenham, went back to her GP this year when the pain became unbearable, and was again referred to a consultant who told her how much the fibroids had grown.

She added:

“That set off an alarm with me – I made up my mind to have this thing done.

“I was shocked to get a call to have my surgery on a Sunday but this time I felt ready, I knew it had to be done. Everything was explained to me beforehand, and the staff were really nice, treating me with dignity.”

Of the additional weekend sessions, there were three separate lists each Saturday and Sunday, one for robotic surgery (where a surgeon sits at a computer console to control the robot, which uses small incisions, surgical instruments, and a camera), one for major surgeries, and one for procedures where women were treated and sent home the same day.

Roopa Nair (pictured above centre with members of our Theatre team), our Clinical Director for Women’s Health and robotic surgeon, was one of the surgeons working over the weekends, alongside colleagues including Kingsley Mahendra, Mohammad Masood, Kunal Rathod and Mona Sharma.

Roopa said:

“Events like this take a lot of intense work, not just during the month itself, but in the planning. Everyone came on board and our target was to see as many patients as possible who had experienced long waits over 50 weeks, as well as patients needing urgent treatment.

“Robotic surgery really helps with accuracy and precision and means in some cases we can do more procedures per session than before. It’s great for the surgeon and for patients.

“On the day everyone comes together. We’ll usually order food and eat together to help keep morale up, and we help each other to ensure if one team is overrunning, patients aren’t affected. It’s total teamwork.”

A huge number of staff are involved in making it happen, not only our Theatre and Women’s Health teams, but also our Day Surgery Unit, pre-assessment and admin teams, staff on Iris ward, caring for patients as they recover, and those getting everything ready to ensure smooth discharges.

Our gynaecology month follows on from three previous Gynaecology Weeks, the most recent held in March this year.

Pictured top are members of our Theatre team in one of our theatres.