NHS to open 50 surgical hubs capable of a MILLION extra ops per year by 2024

HOSPITALS will open 50 extra surgical hubs to speed up Covid backlog progress.

Ministers have pledged to open 100 new operating theatres at 50 centres capable of a million more operations per year by 2024.

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More than 6.7million people in England are waiting for routine surgery, up from 4.4m before the pandemic, with the NHS wait list growing every month.

Health chiefs hope quick-fire hubs for simple ops will keep patients out of hospital beds and bust the backlog faster.

Ninety-one hubs have already opened and ministers have plans for 140 in total, with 20 new or repurposed locations already confirmed.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “In order to bust the Covid backlogs and keep pace with future demand, we can’t simply have business as usual. 

“Surgical hubs are a tangible example of how we are expanding capacity to fill surgical gaps right across the country.

“These new hubs will deliver additional operations over the next three years, including over 200,000 this year alone.”

The centres will do batches of similar operations to speed up patient turnover, focusing on eye surgery, bone and joint ops, gynaecology and urology, and ear, nose and throat.

Patients will be more likely to get home on the same day and recover faster, bosses hope.

NHS CEO Amanda Pritchard said: “The NHS has made significant progress already, virtually eliminating two year waits for care by the end of July.

“These new sites will be a welcome boost in helping us to further tackle the Covid-19 backlogs.”