Hospital chiefs in York today unveiled details of the £7.9m revamp they hope could help bring down eye operation waiting times and transform the way surgery is carried out.

A first-floor ward that could be given a new look

The ambitious scheme to transform the hospital's first floor would see the number of 'day case' operating theatres increased from four to seven or eight - doubling capacity.

That will mean two day case theatres dedicated full time to eye operations instead of the one main theatre now.

The plans would also mean the eye ward and day case areas being brought down from the second floor and relocated next to the revamped theatres as part of a single, integrated eye unit.

But consultants in York District Hospital's eye department, while welcoming the scheme, warned even if it went ahead they were unlikely to be able to take full advantage of the extra theatre time - without a corresponding expansion of the hospitals eye outpatients' unit.

Consultant opthalmologist and director of the eye unit Dr Mike Hayward said: "We could make some use of a second theatre now, but to make full use of it we would have to have a fifth consultant. We cannot do that with outpatients as it is."

His colleague, consultant opthalmologist Tim Manners, who joined the hospital in January, added the quality of operating theatres at the hospital was excellent - it was the eye department's outpatient unit that needed improvement.

He said: "That's where things really need to be better. I've been trying to encouragement management since I've been here to upgrade that."

As the Evening Press revealed on Wednesday, hospital managers have tentatively identified two possible sites for an expanded outpatients eye clinic - above the child development centre, or between the ward blocks and the canteen.

They stressed though any outpatients upgrade would not be part of the £7.9m first floor revamp, and plans were at a 'very preliminary stage' only.

They would need to be part of a separate bid to regional health chiefs.

The ambitious £7.9m scheme will involve the transformation of the whole of the hospital's first floor.

As well as changes to the eye department, the children's unit would be relocated to the ground floor as part of a combined women's and children's department. Intensive care would take it's place on the first floor next to the main operating theatres.

Part of the first floor admin block would be turned into clinical space, and the floor will also be given a new look. Out will go the echoing, clinical 1970s corridors, in will come a new, cosy look designed to make patients and staff alike feel more comfortable and relaxed.

Outline plans for the scheme have already been lodged with regional health bosses in Durham, and if they approve a full business case will be submitted this summer.

All being well, work on the three-year project could start in the middle of next year.

But Susan Acott, York District Hospital's general manager for surgical services, warned today the scheme was still a long way from getting regional health bosses' approval.

She said: "We don't yet have approval for either the first floor scheme or improvements to the outpatients department. There is a long way to go."

A spokeswoman for the regional NHS Executive in Durham confirmed today they were still awaiting further information from the YDH.

But she said: "We are expecting a final business plan from them."

Great leap forward in care

Day case surgery is the way of the future.

Improving surgical techniques mean more and more operations can be carried out with the minimum of injury, using tiny incisions and micro-surgery.

Coupled with the ever-growing numbers of patients, hospitals are switching more and more to day case surgery rather than admitting patients for a stay of several days, as would have happened just a few years ago.

Cataract surgery is one of the areas where the greatest leaps forward have been made.Katrina Swires, sister in charge of the eye ward and day case unit, said three years ago just 27 per cent of cataract operations were done as day cases.

Now that figure is 77 per cent and rising. The £7.9 million revamp of the hospital's first floor will pave the way for further dramatic increases in the levels of day case surgery.

Today, about 60 per cent of all operations at York District Hospital are done as day case. General manager for surgical services Susan Acott said the aim was to increase that to 80 per cent.

She said: "It's extremely cost effective, and the patients prefer it because not many people want to spend a day in hospital if they can avoid it."

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