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A formal event has been held to mark the opening of a new elective surgical hub at St Austell Community Hospital.

The St Austell Surgical Hub is already helping to deliver more care closer to home and ease waiting lists across Cornwall. It has seen more than 500 patients since October 2024.

The £15 million modular building has 2 operating theatres; 4 recovery bays; 6 pre-op assessment rooms; and a reception and waiting areas.

The team are set to deliver around 5,000 day surgery procedures a year. This includes ophthalmology and gynaecology.

Guests gathered for the formal opening on Tuesday 14 January. These included NHS colleagues; local councillors; delivery partners; and representatives from ModuleCo.

Steve Williamson, Chief Executive of Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust began the ribbon-cutting event. He praised staff for bringing the state-of-the-art hub to life. Steve also talked about the benefits for patients and the NHS:

"It is really important to local people that depending on the surgical procedure they need, some of them are able to receive that treatment here in St Austell. Many patients who live in mid, north and east Cornwall can receive their care here rather than going to the Royal Cornwall Hospital or Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. That care close to home is really important. But actually, we will see patients from across Cornwall come to use this facility.

"This is a time of great challenge for the NHS, with significant pressure on our waiting lists. So, it is fantastic to have these 2 additional operating theatres to help us address that. To give improved access to elective services here at St Austell and across the whole of Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. It will make it more timely for all patients to access care, as we make great use of this facility."

Debbie Richards, Chief Executive of Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said this builds on joint successes. That includes the community diagnostic centre and MRI unit at Bodmin:

"It is my privilege to be here. I am incredibly proud and excited to formally celebrate this collaboration between our 2 organisations.

"As the chief executive of the Trust that provides all the community hospital sites here in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, this is a great facility for all our staff. We have developed this in partnership. I know this has created a real buzz for staff on this site, as they have seen development and investment in their local facility.

"As importantly, if not more importantly, and I speak as a St Austell resident, this has created a real buzz for people in the local community too."

Debbie dedicated the new building to Mark Duddridge. He was a non-executive director on the Trust's Board when he passed away in May 2023.

She made a speech in Mark's honour, before inviting his wife Amber and sister Dawn to cut the ribbon:

"Those who knew Mark in a work setting knew he was a great visionary and a great strategist. He used to say to us, what is your unique selling point; what is your USP; what are you really about; what direction do you want to travel in; what is your postcard from the future; what do you really want our community hospitals to look like? It is with Mark's help, steer, and guidance that we have developed these facilities. He has given us the resolve and determination.

"We were very sad with his sudden passing in 2023. We hope that by honouring him in this way, his presence and his contribution to our organisation and the NHS in Cornwall can be commemorated."

The surgical hub is a joint venture between Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, and NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board (ICB).

John Groom is the relationship director for acute (hospitals) at the ICB. He praised the journey from breaking the first ground to formal opening in just under a year:

"It is exciting to see the elective surgical hub in St Austell in operation. This investment is a significant step forward in improving local healthcare. With the capacity to deliver up to an additional 5,000 day case surgeries yearly, this facility will not only provide patients with timely access to high quality care, but also plays a key role in reducing waiting times and easing the pressure on our wider healthcare system.

"For some patients, this new facility provides more local access and removes the need to travel to Treliske or Derriford. Giving local people the chance to have some operations closer to home in this modern facility is a brilliant example of caring where it matters."

The hub was built by ModuleCo, which is the healthcare division of BRG Technologies. It has been building specialist facilities for the healthcare sector for over 2 decades.