We held a special opening event on Friday 17 May to celebrate the completion of an expansion of our Elective Surgical Hub at King George Hospital (KGH).

The expansion includes two new theatres which will allow us to carry out 100 additional operations a week, getting more patients across north east London the care they need more quickly, while helping to reduce our waiting lists.

There are double the number of recovery beds, and we’ve expanded the space so patients have a comfier recovery and more room to themselves. There’s also modern staff changing areas, spacious storage rooms and offices.

The building has been carefully planned to reduce heat loss and save energy, as well as being designed to house the latest innovative technology, allowing our students and staff opportunities to learn and develop their careers.

Watch a snapshot of the event below which includes speeches from a number of guests.

Caroline Clarke, Director for NHS London, cut the ribbon at the event (above), which was also attended by MP for Ilford North and Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting, MP for Ilford South Sam Tarry and Redbridge Borough Council Leader Jas Athwal.

Caroline said:

What’s going on here is really special. It’s all about the team, the people who work here, who have put their heart and soul into making it happen.

Congratulations on opening this fantastic facility, and thank you for everything you do for the people you serve.

Matthew Trainer, our Chief Executive, said:

I am delighted we have opened our new £14m theatres, completing a state-of-the-art facility which will help deliver the best possible care to patients across north east London.

The expansion has also helped to future-proof our hub, ensuring we can use the most up-to-date technology to benefit patients. Being able to provide an additional 100 operations each week once bedded in will make a huge difference in helping us get patients the care they need and reducing waits for treatment.

Zina Etheridge, Chief Executive of North East London Integrated Care System, added:

Well done to BHRUT for completing this expansion of their Elective Surgical Hub that will also benefit patients at Barts Health and Homerton Healthcare.

We’re working closely with the trusts to reduce health inequalities and this will help make a big difference. It’s an impressive facility with innovative technology, which will help provide the best possible experience for those being treated there.

Following the opening, guests were taken on a tour of the new state-of-the-art facility and see first-hand some of the technology, including surgical robots, and innovations like Cytosponge, which can help identify pre-cancerous conditions of the stomach and oesophagus, we’re using to benefit patients.

On the tour, Wes Streeting had the opportunity to cut a ribbon using one of our surgical robots to commemorate the occasion. Watch the video (bottom).

He was also filled with pride at the hard work of our teams and here's what he had to say (below).

 

Our Elective Surgical Hub was one of the first across the country to be accredited as part of a national scheme which recognises high standards and commitment to training. It was also highly commended in the HSJ awards.