New surgery service at Hutt Hospital will help improve patient wait times

A new procedure suite in Hutt Valley Hospital, which will increase capacity for planned surgical services across the region, was officially blessed and opened yesterday.

“Currently, patients who require surgical procedures are treated and cared for in the hospital’s main operating theatres,” said Jamie Duncan, Interim Lead Hospital and Specialist Services for Te Whatu Ora Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley.

“This multi-specialty, five-room procedure suite will enable our kaimahi to care for some of these patients in a more clinically-appropriate environment, without the need to go into the main operating theatre which is geared towards more complex care.”

“We expect to carry out over 500 procedures in the new suite in its first year. This will help free up Hutt Hospital’s main operating theatres to focus on more complex procedures under general anaesthetic, leading to improved surgical wait times.”

“It also ensures we are making the most effective use of our resources to deliver services in the most appropriate setting for our patients. We will also work closely with other Districts in the Central Region so hopefully everyone can benefit from this facility in some way.”

The new procedure suite includes:

• Five procedure rooms, one of which is larger for laser procedures;

• Dedicated patient change facilities for each procedure room allowing full privacy;

• A central three lazy boy chair observation room, with a beverage bay; and

• A smaller main waiting room.

From April, a new and permanent 23-hour, 8-bed unit in the surgical recovery area of Hutt Valley Hospital will also open, further improving wait times across the region.

The new procedure suite will be open to patients from Monday 3 April. Patients will be able to find the suite on Level 2 of the Clock Tower at Hutt Hospital, above the Plastic Surgery Outpatient Department. New signage is being installed over the coming week.