Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) is celebrating the official opening of its brand new Hampshire Orthopaedic Centre, a state-of-the-art facility located at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.
The purpose-built unit will improve elective surgery access for thousands of patients across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, delivering orthopaedic operations such as hip and knee replacements.
Crucially, it will enable more orthopaedic patients to be seen and reduce waiting lists, with consultants from both Hampshire Hospitals and University Hospital Southampton (UHS) operating at the facility. With 16 single patient rooms, two orthopaedic theatres, and multiple four-bedded patient bays, the facility will be used exclusively for this planned care.
Alex Whitfield, Chief Executive of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are incredibly proud to open our new Hampshire Orthopaedic Centre and begin welcoming patients for their treatment. Facilities like this are so important for our patients and communities, helping us deliver more timely care for those waiting for orthopaedic procedures and offering an even better experience for our patients and staff.
“Throughout the project, we have been constantly working closely and collaboratively with our colleagues and partners, and this has been a shining example of effective system working. Our thanks to all who have helped bring our plans for these new purpose-built facilities to life.”
Paul Grundy, Chief Medical Officer for University Hospital Southampton, said: “Opening this elective hub has been a collective effort between partners, bringing together clinicians and support staff from UHS and HHFT to deliver a state-of-the-art facility that will benefit thousands of patients in Hampshire for years to come. Protecting this resource from the pressures of an emergency site is a better model of elective care and this successful collaboration is a stepping stone to new models of care across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”
Dr Lara Alloway, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, said: “Investing in the Hampshire Orthopaedic Centre allows us to increase the number of planned operations such as a hip replacement, shorten waiting times for our population, and support the ambitions of the NHS 10-year plan which sets out a vision to provide more accessible care.”
The Hampshire Orthopaedic Centre is part of a national programme to deliver ‘surgical hubs’, designed to increase elective capacity as part of the NHS England ‘Getting It Right First Time’ programme, offering more patients quicker access to some of the most common procedures.
Alongside the new hub, Hampshire Hospitals is also currently building a new outpatient facility specifically for orthopaedics. Scheduled to open in late 2025, this new space will provide an additional eight outpatient rooms; a co-located plain film x-ray service with an adjacent treatment room; and four fracture clinic assessment booths with a two-bay plaster room.
Both developments are part of Hampshire Hospitals’ ongoing commitment to invest in services and facilities at Winchester, helping to meet the rising demand for orthopaedic care across the county.
Find out more about the Hampshire Orthopaedic Centre at hampshirehospitals.nhs.uk/hoc.
