The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) has opened a new £2.9m specialist unit for patients with hand trauma.
The new Ambulatory Procedure unit will allow staff to carry out more procedures for patients and reducing waiting times for surgery.
It comes as part of the hospital’s building improvement programme and features the latest advanced equipment.
The team will be able to treat more patients needing localised anaesthetics through a same-day walk-in service, freeing up general theatre staff to concentrate on more complex procedures.
Sarah Bulock, deputy team leader for the unit, said: “We think it is such a wonderful new unit that will ensure patients have a really positive experience throughout.”
The new facility has been heralded as an opportunity to increase the hospital’s scope for “clinical excellence, research and training” and will provide a specialised anaesthetic service for the region.
Nick Sheppard, one of the unit’s plastic, reconstructive and hand surgeons, said the team will be able to work more efficiently by locating elective and trauma hand surgery in one area, and will be adopting a “flexible, dynamic approach” for patients using the busy service.
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