For the first time in over 30 years, paediatric surgery has been carried out at Leigh Infirmary.
In a bid to reduce referral to treatment (RTT) times and offer an additional pathway to address health inequalities in Ear, Nose and Throat and Dental specialities throughout Greater Manchester, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) has re-introduced children’s services at Leigh Infirmary’s Surgical Hub.
A total of nine children, aged between five and 12-years-old were operated on, and all were recovered, playing and laughing together on the ward following their surgeries. A huge team, including theatres staff, dental surgeons, anaesthetists, resus and ward staff, all worked together to enable paediatric surgery to take place on the site, with Rainbow Ward specialists coming from the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary to care for the children.
Dr Sean McAfee, Consultant Anaesthetist, said: “It has been a real team effort getting this project up and running. There have been a lot of people who have committed a lot of time and effort in ensuring we have everything in place to make this project a reality. The first list today went smoothly, and it was great to have a brilliant team atmosphere with real camaraderie, and the feedback from the children and parents today has been priceless.”
As part of a wider Children and Young Persons Agenda for Greater Manchester, paediatric lists at Leigh are set to take place once a month following a 12-month initiative to return this type of activity to the site. Both operational and clinical teams from WWL have worked in close partnership to ensure a safe and effective rollout and staff have participated in dedicated training sessions designed to support the safe delivery of care, as part of the extensive preparations.
Dental Surgeon Mr Raghu Raman Mani said: “Restarting this service after so many years is a significant milestone. The level of teamwork, professionalism, and dedication shown is outstanding. A huge well done to everyone who made who made this possible and a special thank you to all the staff. Your commitment and collaboration ensured everything ran smoothly, and it was a real pleasure to witness such excellent care being delivered.”