A MAJOR extension to Poole Hospital comprising five storeys of new theatre space is nearing completion.

The new theatre building at Poole Hospital will begin welcoming patients by this summer, replacing the existing accommodation at the eastern end of the hospital with a modern block.

Eight new theatres, including innovative open-plan four-table ‘barn’ theatres, will help the consolidation of planned care at Poole as the site transitions away from emergency care.

Construction began in January 2021 and the main structure work was completed with a ‘topping-out’ ceremony in May last year. Finishing touches are being done to the interior including cleaning and commissioning access for theatre staff, anaesthetists and surgeons.

Bournemouth Echo: Inside the new theatres building at Poole Hospital which is set to open in summer 2023Inside the new theatres building at Poole Hospital which is set to open in summer 2023 (Image: UHD)

Dr Isabel Smith, medical director for strategy and transformation at University Hospitals Dorset, told the Echo that the new £187million building will transform planned care for the county.

“Poole Hospital is going to be a thriving hub for surgical care”, she said.

“The building is on track and then we have the commissioning period which includes figuring out staffing models and rotas, scheduling, and procuring the right equipment.

“Then once the building is ready and released to us in spring we’ll be doing staff familiarisation, deep cleaning, infection control, radiation protection checks and all the operational checks we need to get it from being a building site to fully functioning theatres.

“I work in theatres and the most important thing for me is that they’re safe for patient care.”

Bournemouth Echo: Poole Hospital new theatres building as seen from the outside in January 2023Poole Hospital new theatres building as seen from the outside in January 2023 (Image: UHD)

New anaesthetists are being trained to take up roles in the new theatres building, which will be used for emergency trauma cases until the major reorganisation with Royal Bournemouth Hospital in spring 2025 – after which it will be used exclusively for pre-planned operations.  

The shift to RBH becoming the sole emergency site in the area has been a controversial one. But Dr Smith believes it will rapidly increase treatment speed and reduce backlogs.

“Both hospitals have emergency departments and we know that as soon as you get lots of emergencies your beds fill up and you have no safe pathway through for patients who need their planned care operations. That’s why our strategic goal is to separate planned and emergency care," he said.

It is hoped the new theatres building will deliver thousands more planned procedures each year and will be fully operational by early summer.