More orthopaedic work for Royal Gwent

12:40am Tuesday 5th August 2008

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HEALTH bosses want to use more of the orthopaedic theatre capacity at the Royal Gwent Hospital for treating patients requiring complex surgery.

The move, part of a wider plan to ensure waiting times targets for orthopaedic surgery can be met for Gwent patients, will also involve earlier identification of those who can more appropriately be treated at the stand-alone orthopaedic unit at St Woolos Hospital.

Gwent Healthcare Trust chiefs believe a more effective split of complex and more routine cases will also allow them to maximise the use of capacity at the £7.3m St Woolos unit, which opened two years ago.

Orthopaedics remains the most in-demand specialty in Gwent, with progress towards a 32-week referral-to-treatment time (RTT) by December 2009 dependent on maximising theatre use.