Staffordshire Treatment Suite celebrates third anniversary at County Hospital

A specialist suite helping thousands of patients access quicker day-case treatment is celebrating its third anniversary at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM). 

The Staffordshire Treatment Suite (STS) at County Hospital, Stafford, offers a range of specialities including gynaecology, oral and maxillofacial surgery and vascular procedures allowing patients to return home the same day.

By moving suitable procedures out of main theatres and some outpatient settings, the STS has also helped free up additional capacity for more complex surgery and appointments across UHNM whilst helping to reduce waiting times. 

The STS has four fully operational treatment rooms dedicated to ambulatory and day-case procedures carried out under local anaesthetic.

Andrew Cole, theatre matron at UHNM, said: “The STS has become a really important part of how we deliver planned care at UHNM and it is fantastic to celebrate this milestone with the teams who have helped make it such a success.

“The unit gives patients a dedicated environment where they can come in, have their consultation and procedure and return home the same day. It helps us treat more patients more quickly while making sure people feel safe, supported and cared for throughout their visit.

“We are incredibly proud of what colleagues have achieved over the last three years. Operating an ambulatory treatment unit was something completely new for many of our theatre teams and staff have worked hard to develop new skills, processes and ways of working to make the service what it is today.

“It has been a real whole-team effort involving clinical teams as well as support services including HSDU, Estates and Clinical Technology, who all play an important role in keeping the unit running safely and smoothly every day.”