Hospital patients stand to benefit as plans for a £5.7 million investment in additional operating theatres have been announced by George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust.

The two new permanent theatres will replace a temporary mobile theatre which was installed in the Autumn of 2020 alongside the Captain Tom Moore Unit, a 30 bed planned care unit.

Welcoming the plans' approval, Managing Director David Eltringham said: "This is fantastic news. Doubling the theatre capacity at the Capt. Tom Moore Unit means that more local people can be treated in a separate, planned care unit on the site – an important safety factor as we continue to tackle Covid-19 during 2021.

"Waiting lists have built up during the Covid-19 pandemic and we understand the impact this has had on many patients and their families. Our new theatres will play a huge part in reducing the backlog by treating as many patients as we can, as quickly as possible.

"The new theatres also mean we can convert an existing theatre on the main area of the site into a second emergency theatre – increasing our readiness and improving our care for people who need urgent treatment.

"This latest addition is part of a continuous journey of improvement at George Eliot Hospital and it is particularly pleasing to be able to announce these plans during an extremely challenging time for our staff and the patients we care for."

The new theatres will be a modular design, and benefitted from the involvement of a number of George Eliot Hospital surgeons and senior theatre staff to ensure the highest standards of clinical design and safety.

Construction is expected to begin in the last week of March 2021, with a planned opening in the summer.

The hospital will be seeking more medical and theatre support staff to work at the site, including anaesthetists, operating department practitioners and nurses and theatre support workers.

David Eltringham added: "We have a fantastic workforce here and we will soon be launching a bid to attract more staff to come and join our team."