New Theatre Arrivals Area for surgical patients officially unveiled
A reconfiguration project to upgrade the Theatres Arrival Area (TAA) at Leicester Royal Infirmary that offers benefits to both staff and patients, will be officially unveiled this week.
The project, which started in May 2013, has been completed in three phases over the last ten months. The Theatres Arrivals Area, Staff Changing Rooms and Sterile Services Hub were all relocated and refurbished to create a more up to date, functional space for patients and theatres staff.
An opening ceremony will be held on Wednesday 26 March at Leicester Royal Infirmary to showcase the new area. Elaine Ryan, former Divisional Head of Nursing for Leicester’s Hospitals will be returning to see the realisation of her vision for the new facility. Alan Birchenall, Leicester City Football Club ambassador, will formally open the new unit alongside Elaine.
Leicester City legend Alan, said: “I have been involved in many projects at Leicester’s Hospitals over the years and thoroughly enjoy meeting patients and staff each time I visit. I think it’s fantastic that patients awaiting surgery have such a great facility and I’m honoured to be officially unveiling the new area.”
The TAA provides a facility for patients to be admitted on the day of their surgery, to be processed by the nursing staff and to meet their anaesthetist and their surgeon. They then make the short journey into theatre for their operation. The concept of a TAA is well-received within the NHS and is designed to make the arrivals process for ambulatory surgical patients as smooth and efficient as possible.
The previous temporary TAA worked well, thanks to the friendly, professional staff who operate it, but the layout was fragmented and only provided a limited amount of space.
Patients are now welcomed in the reception area of a brand new unit and their personal details checked, before they are asked to take a seat in the waiting area. They are then assessed by a nurse in a private admission/consulting room and seen by their anaesthetist and surgeon, before waiting in the comfortable sub-wait area for their operation.
Chris Fowkes, deputy charge nurse for Theatres, explains: “Our new unit provides individual, holistic, multidisciplinary pre-operative care for adults undergoing a surgical procedure. It offers a safe, secure and relaxing environment and has been specifically designed to promote a speedy, comfortable admission procedure, enabling patients to wait in comfortable, purposeful surroundings.”
A patient who has visited the TAA both before and after the upgrade, said: “I’ve been in the old TAA for surgery and am now having the second part of my surgery today. What a massive transformation; if you have to be here, it’s the best environment to be in!”
Another patient said: “From entering the TAA, I felt really relaxed and a lot of thought has gone into the décor and pictures. It was nice to hear music in the waiting area which was calming. The rooms are massive and the care superb. Great team all round, thank you.”
A reconfiguration project to upgrade the Theatres Arrival Area (TAA) at Leicester Royal Infirmary that offers benefits to both staff and patients, will be officially unveiled this week.
The project, which started in May 2013, has been completed in three phases over the last ten months. The Theatres Arrivals Area, Staff Changing Rooms and Sterile Services Hub were all relocated and refurbished to create a more up to date, functional space for patients and theatres staff.
An opening ceremony will be held on Wednesday 26 March at Leicester Royal Infirmary to showcase the new area. Elaine Ryan, former Divisional Head of Nursing for Leicester’s Hospitals will be returning to see the realisation of her vision for the new facility. Alan Birchenall, Leicester City Football Club ambassador, will formally open the new unit alongside Elaine.
Leicester City legend Alan, said: “I have been involved in many projects at Leicester’s Hospitals over the years and thoroughly enjoy meeting patients and staff each time I visit. I think it’s fantastic that patients awaiting surgery have such a great facility and I’m honoured to be officially unveiling the new area.”
The TAA provides a facility for patients to be admitted on the day of their surgery, to be processed by the nursing staff and to meet their anaesthetist and their surgeon. They then make the short journey into theatre for their operation. The concept of a TAA is well-received within the NHS and is designed to make the arrivals process for ambulatory surgical patients as smooth and efficient as possible.
The previous temporary TAA worked well, thanks to the friendly, professional staff who operate it, but the layout was fragmented and only provided a limited amount of space.
Patients are now welcomed in the reception area of a brand new unit and their personal details checked, before they are asked to take a seat in the waiting area. They are then assessed by a nurse in a private admission/consulting room and seen by their anaesthetist and surgeon, before waiting in the comfortable sub-wait area for their operation.
Chris Fowkes, deputy charge nurse for Theatres, explains: “Our new unit provides individual, holistic, multidisciplinary pre-operative care for adults undergoing a surgical procedure. It offers a safe, secure and relaxing environment and has been specifically designed to promote a speedy, comfortable admission procedure, enabling patients to wait in comfortable, purposeful surroundings.”
A patient who has visited the TAA both before and after the upgrade, said: “I’ve been in the old TAA for surgery and am now having the second part of my surgery today. What a massive transformation; if you have to be here, it’s the best environment to be in!”
Another patient said: “From entering the TAA, I felt really relaxed and a lot of thought has gone into the décor and pictures. It was nice to hear music in the waiting area which was calming. The rooms are massive and the care superb. Great team all round, thank you.”