Planned Care Hub

The new Elective Hub based at the Princess Royal Hospital was opened in June 2024 and supports patients awaiting planned surgery. The unit allows the Trust to complete thousands more day case operations every year.

The unit includes:

  • An admissions area with individual patient pods
  • Four modern theatres as well as new recovery areas.

Patients requiring Gynaecology, Vascular, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedic, Breast, Upper GI, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Maxillofacial procedures and General Surgery will be treated in the hub.

On the day of your surgery please report to reception on arrival at your admission time of either 7.15am for a morning theatre list and 12pm for an afternoon list.

Your admission time is not your theatre slot time and you will find out where you are on the list when you arrive.

The reason we bring all our patients in at the same time is so that you can be seen by your surgeon, doctor and any other specialist nurses prior to them going into theatre.

The surgeons are unable to keep coming out of the theatres as this would cause delays and increase infection risks. This may mean that you wait for several hours therefore, we ask you to bring something to read or do whilst you are waiting.

On the day of your surgery, we allow one person/visitor with you and we discourage children from attending with you. Any other visitors can wait in dedicated rest areas around the hospital.

On arrival you will be greeted by our reception team who will confirm your details and ask you to take a seat in the waiting area.

A nurse will call you and take you through to an admission pod where they will complete all necessary paperwork and take your observations to ensure that you are fit for your surgery.

Please note that the hub has four theatres and we admit according to where you are on the theatre list, so please don’t be alarmed if you see lots of patients going in before you. The staff will keep you updated.

If you are of childbearing age, we will ask you for a urine sample and some operations are unable to proceed without this.

After the nurse has seen you, your surgeon will complete consent paperwork for your procedure. This will be your opportunity to ask the doctors any questions prior to your procedure.

You may also speak with clinical nurse specialists or physiotherapists prior to your surgery.

You will then be asked to get changed into an hospital gown and some pressure relieving stockings. We advise you to bring a dressing gown, some slippers and a washbag in an unlikely event you need to stay in overnight.

When it is your turn to go to theatre a nurse will escort you to the anaesthetic room and stay with you until you are handed over to the theatre team.

We will ask your visitor to leave the department and advise them of what time to call to see if you have returned.

Once your surgery is finished you will be escorted to recovery stage 1 for initial observation and then return to stage 2 recovery, where your visitor can sit with you.

Depending on if you have had a local anaesthetic (awake) or a general anaesthetic (asleep) will determine when you can have something to eat and drink.

It will also determine your post op care as some procedures require different observations and post op care. Don’t worry if you see someone else having more observations than you or getting out of bed quicker than you. There are different stages to different recoveries.

Once you are ready to leave the nurses will discharge you. The nurse will provide you and your carer with both verbal and written post op care instructions that will be specific to you. This information will include all relevant contact details.

If you have a general anaesthetic, then you must have someone to escort you home (even if you came via ambulance). You are not able to travel on public transport. If you do not have someone to look after you, you must tell the nurse at your pre assessment.

If you have a local anaesthetic, you may not be able to drive depending on the type of surgery you have you must check this prior to going to theatre.

If you require a follow-up appointment, then this may be made whilst you are on the unit.

Key Info

Contact details

01952 641222 Ext: 4240 or 4994

Opening times

Monday to Friday and some weekends

7.15am-10pm

Location

The unit can be found on the first floor opposite the Apley castle Restaurant. The nearest entrance is via the main hospital reception, and you take the stairs or lift to the first floor.