The £35.5m Friarage Surgical Centre will secure the future of the Northallerton hospital after years of speculation and rumours, say senior clinicians as they prepare for their first patients.
The new state-of-the-art hub will open on June 12, with the hospital’s existing surgical centre closing two days earlier.
The purpose-built centre includes six main operating theatres, two minor operating theatres, and a surgical admission and day hub.
It is hoped the centre will mean 10,000 elective surgeries can be undertaken every year – around double the current number carried out at the hospital.
Nine different specialist surgeries will be available at the hub, with the latest robotic technology being used by consultants.
Funding for the centre was approved in 2022 with work delayed due to the Covid pandemic, but Sarah Baker, lead nurse for the centre, said the need for a new hub was confirmed in 2015 following a review of facilities by the Department of Health.
She said: “There’s been talk for so long about the future of the Friarage and it’s never been particularly positive.
“But this a major investment in the hospital and protects its future. Staff are really excited about the centre’s opening and are feeling positive about the future of the Friarage”
Ms Baker said clinical staff at the hospital had been heavily involved in designing the new centre to ensure it allowed staff to provide the best possible care for patients.
She said the local community had also been involved with donations provided by businesses and the Friends of the Friarage group, and local school children taking part in a competition to design artwork for the centre.
The senior nurse also praised Richmond and Northallerton MP Rishi Sunak for helping to secure the funding for the centre.
Officials at the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are hopeful the new hub will aid recruitment at the hospital, which has proved challenging in the past.
The centre will be staffed by around 100 people, including 25 new posts which are currently being filled.
Andrew Murray, clinical operational lead for the new centre, added: “The new centre will provide safe care, in a timely manner closer to your home — that’s what it’s all about.
“It also gives staff the chance to work in a much nicer, purpose-built environment.”
Catterick Village resident Jason Sykes, 54, is booked in to have a second hip replacement on the centre’s first day of opening.
The mechanic said: “It’s great to have such fantastic facilities just 20 minutes away, and means you don’t have to go all the way to James Cook in Middlesbrough.
“This will help me get my life back on track. I can get fit again and get back to work.”
The hospital’s surgical hub has recently gained national recognition for its high standards of clinical and operational practice with accreditation from NHS England’s Getting it right first time (GIRFT) scheme.
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