Hospital threatened with closure to remain open

Company news

Feb 10, 2015

A popular Plymouth hospital which was threatened with closure at the end of last year is to remain open, hospital managers have announced.

The future of Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre, which provides orthopaedic and ophthalmology (cataract) surgery and care to NHS patients across the region, was uncertain towards the end of last year while decisions were made about the continuation of care contracts, especially for orthopaedic treatments.

But thanks to the support of a legion of satisfied patients, the team at the hospital and from elsewhere in the NHS, and the fact that because the hospital is part of the Choose and Book regime and is therefore still eligible to take NHS patients, Care UK which runs the hospital has decided that there is a strong-enough case for it to remain open.

From 1 April the hospital will receive no more guaranteed NHS patient referrals for orthopaedic care, but will instead be reliant on patients exercising their right to choose where they receive treatment. When their doctor lets a patient know that they need orthopaedic or ophthalmic surgery, the doctor and the NHS referral service should offer the Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre as part of the list of hospitals where treatment might take place. Even if this does not happen, a patient still has the right to request treatment at the centre, provided they meet the necessary criteria.

Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre welcomed its first patient in April 2005, and for the past 10 years thousands of NHS patients across Devon and Cornwall have received top quality treatment there.

The hospital has two operating theatres for surgery for hips, knees, shoulders, hands and other orthopaedic procedures, and for cataracts. It facilitates other surgical disciplines when requested from elsewhere in the NHS. The hospital also has its own pharmacy and diagnostic imaging facilities.

Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre performs well against NHS care benchmarks. The average length of stay over the past year was 2.9 days for hips and 3.35 days for knees. The hospital received 4,614 referrals and 3,509 theatre admissions over that period, and there were no hospital-acquired MRSA or C.difficile infections.

In the last quarter of 2014, 100 per cent of patients who received treatment at Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre said they would recommend it to family and friends for in-patient, day surgery, post-operative, diagnostics and general surgery patient experiences.

Patricia Warwick, hospital director at Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre, said: “It goes without saying that we are delighted the hospital will remain open, and we would like to thank everyone who voiced support for us over a very uncertain period. We find ourselves in a position unique in the NHS, where it will be up to us to ensure that patients know they can choose to come to us for treatment and encourage them to do so.

“The upshot is that, come 1 April, we will truly only be as good as our last patient’s experience. This means that, as well as working hard to encourage patients to come to us, we will be putting even more effort into maintaining our exceptionally high standards around clinical excellence, top quality care and the overall patient experience.

“Over the coming year we will be much more visible throughout the South West; we will be developing our patient forum, forging alliances with organisations such as Arthritis Research UK, getting out and about in the community and inviting community groups to visit us to see our facilities for themselves.”

Patients wanting more information about how they can receive treatment at Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre can call the hospital on 01752 506070 or visit peninsulatreatmentcentre.nhs.uk