£2m project completed to increase surgical capacity at Fife hospital

The work at Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline has taken place at the day surgery unit, and more procedures will now be able to be carried out.

The hospital has become a centre of excellence for day surgery, serving patients from across Fife and carrying out around 7400 procedures each year.

It has been at the forefront of pioneering new cutting-edge surgical procedures in cancer, urology and gynaecology. It is is also home to the ophthalmology ‘Jack and Jill’ theatre, which has increased capacity for cataract procedures since it opened in 2019.

The unique setup for day surgery at Queen Margaret meant that the hospital was able to continue its surgical programme throughout almost the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to minimise waiting times when most other parts of the country had to pause all non-urgent surgery due to pressures on services.

Work startedn in February 2021 to reconfigure under utilised areas within the unit. These works have now been completed, creating additional clinical and recovery space and enabling a greater number of procedures to be carried out each week.

It means patients can have procedures under local anaesthetic to be admitted straight into the theatre suite rather than the adjoining day surgery ward. This frees up beds within the ward for patients requiring general anaesthetic, and will help increase theatre capacity as a result.

Claire Dobson, director of acute services, said: “The project has been years in the planning and I am really pleased to see the works now having come to fruition.

“Queen Margaret Hospital has truly become a centre of excellence in day surgery over recent years, pioneering new and innovative surgical techniques well ahead of anywhere else in the country.

“People will be well aware of the impact that the pandemic had on waiting times for almost all types of surgery, and that’s not unique to Fife. We are continually looking to see where we can make our theatres more efficient and maximise the numbers of procedures we can carry out.

“This is really good example of where, with the right investment, we can see greater numbers of surgical patients whilst at the same time improve the experience for patients and make it as seamless as possible.”