Waiting times may be reduced at Wrexham Maelor Hospital as a new minor procedure room for hand surgery has opened.

It is hoped the Minor Operating Room, based in the outpatient department, will help towards reducing those waiting for hand surgery, which has grown considerably since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The idea came from a joint collaboration between Wrexham Maelor Hospital Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Preetham Kodumuri and Ysbyty Gwynedd Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Edwin Jesudason.

Both have been working hard to develop new ways of providing hand surgery outside of the theatre in a safe and effective way.

Plans are now in place to open a similar procedure room within the West and Central area of the Health Board in the coming months.

Mr Kodumuri, who is carrying out the surgery in the new clinical area at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, said: “By opening a new minor procedure room, we can go through a higher volume of patients, which will significantly reduce waiting times and improve patient satisfaction.

“In addition, patients who undergo surgery in a minor procedure room spend much less time in the hospital than those who undergo surgery in a main theatre. This will free up much needed bed space and reduce the pressure on hospital resources.

“Another important benefit of a minor procedure room is that it generates much less clinical waste than main theatre surgeries. This is a crucial consideration given the current focus on reducing waste and promoting sustainability in healthcare.

“Having this available to us also frees up main theatre time for other major operations. This will enable us to perform more surgery and reduce waiting times for those who require more complex surgical interventions.”

Karen Dogan, from Wrexham, was the first patient to undergo surgery in the minor procedure room this month.

Karen, who works at ASDA in the city, had been experiencing pain and numbness in her wrist that required her to take time off work due to struggling with her heavy lifting duties.

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Mr Kodumuri carried out carpal tunnel surgery on Karen’s wrist, which involves releasing a ligament to relieve the pressure on the nerve. This routine procedure was undertaken within the minor procedure room and completed within an hour.

Karen said: “I needed carpal tunnel surgery in my other wrist around a year ago but last time I was waiting on the ward before I went into theatre.

The Leader: Sister Joanne Jones and Mr Preetham Kodumuri with Karen Dogan, the first patient to be treated in the new minor procedure room. Sister Joanne Jones and Mr Preetham Kodumuri with Karen Dogan, the first patient to be treated in the new minor procedure room. (Image: BCUHB)

“This time was much more relaxed, I came straight into outpatients and I felt I was in and out of the procedure room very quickly and then I was fine to go home 45 minutes later.

“It’s fantastic that we have this available and I hope many more people like me benefit from this new way of working.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to the team for everything they have done for me, I trust them with my life – they have been fantastic.”

Improving Orthopaedic services across North Wales is a main priority for the Health Board and further plans are in place to help reduce the number of people waiting for treatment.

Dr Chris Stockport, Executive Director of Transformation, Strategic Planning and Commissioning at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said: “Due to the disruption caused by the pandemic, the waiting list for some Orthopaedic procedures – for example hip replacement surgery – has grown to as much a five years.

“We know that the current situation is not good enough for patients experiencing pain and distress while waiting for much needed treatment, and we are working hard to put things in place to tackle the backlog.”