New Cheshire and Merseyside Surgical Centre at Victoria Infirmary
Centre takes patients from Cheshire and Merseyside regions
The Cheshire and Merseyside Surgical Centre, part of the Victoria Infirmary in Northwich, is now open.
The centre boasts two advanced operating theatres, one dedicated to cataract surgery and the other functioning as a multi-specialty theatre accommodating orthopaedics, ENT, dermatology, general surgery, and pain management.
There is also an ophthalmic treatment room, recovery area and consulting rooms.
The centre will treat around 12,000 patients each year, including a large number of ‘high volume low complexity’ patients from across the region who require less complex operations and procedures.
This will help reduce waiting times for patients, with an immediate focus on those who have the longest waits for treatment.
The historic Verdin Ward has also been refurbished to bring the building up to current standards and to preserve its historic importance. The Verdin Ward takes its name from local businessman and philanthropist, Robert Verdin, who in 1886, donated the house to the town for use as a hospital.
MCHFT received £23m of funding from NHS England, via NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, to create the state-of-the-art facility.
Centre of excellence
The surgical centre will become a cataract centre of excellence, and a regional hub for outstanding cataract care. This will mean fewer people waiting for cataract surgery, with referral to treatment in three weeks or less, as well as improved patient care.
Patients attending for cataract surgery will be treated by surgeons from both Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as part of the surgical hub collaboration. Patients will appear on a joint regional waiting list, which will be the first of its kind in Cheshire and Merseyside.
Regional commitment to excellence
The development of the Cheshire & Merseyside Surgical Centre at Victoria Infirmary is part of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside’s long-term strategy.
This includes a commitment to improving population health and healthcare, and building a strong and sustainable NHS provider sector that delivers services, which offer consistently high levels of access and quality, as outlined in its 2023-2028 Cheshire and Merseyside Joint Forward Plan.
The plan also highlights a programme of radical transformation across the health and care system to address longstanding issues of inequalities in outcomes, as well as and financial sustainability.
