£2 million project to increase surgical capacity in Dunfermline

The significant building works started in February 2021 and have reconfigured under-used areas within the Day Surgery Unit.

It means patients undergoing local anaesthetic procedures will be admitted straight into the theatre suite, freeing up beds within the day surgery ward for those requiring general anaesthetic.

Speaking earlier this week in the newly finished area, Claire Lee, service manager at Queen Margaret Hospital (QMH), told the Press: "It's about being creative with whatever space you have got and that's exactly what's happened here.

"Traditionally what would have happened is this would have been reception area, patients would have come down on their beds, checked in and then taken through to theatre.

"What this area has allowed us to do is take out the majority of local anaesthetic lists from the main suite and into the procedure room.

"We are really lucky here, those are protected beds, by taking local anaesthetic out of that area it means we can get more patients through.

"It's nice, it's compact, patients will come to one area, get checked in and then head through for their procedure then out into the discharge lounge."

There is a new procedure room with many of the same features as a full theatre. (Image: David Wardle.)

Patients will be able to sit after their surgery, rather than using a bed, and wait to be taken home in a dedicated area.

There is also a new procedure room with many of the same features as a full theatre. 

Cath Jack, theatre manager, who alongside Claire helped to pioneer the idea, added: "For some people even having a procedure under local anaesthetic is a really big deal and it can cause a lot of anxiety.

"In terms of the patient experience it is going to really improve what our local anaesthetic patients see when they attend hospital.

"It frees up those beds on the ward, it frees up that theatre space and means hopefully people are waiting for a shorter period of time post-pandemic than they would have otherwise been."

She continued: "You're not ill, you're coming in for a procedure that is going to improve things for you.

"Patients are independent and they've got lives outwith the day they are coming for surgery.

"We don't need to put them into that theatre gown and suddenly they need us for everything because they don't, they only need us for the care for a very short period which the team here at Queen Margaret do exceptionally well.

"It's really aligned with the whole day surgery concept, whether you're having a procedure under local or general.

"You're fine when you come in, you have your procedure, and then you're fine to go home.

"We don't need to keep you in hospital because that's not the best thing for you."

Patients will wait in a dedicated area after their surgery. (Image: David Wardle.)

Patients who need to will still be able to remain in hospital but it is hoped that the new area will promote getting out of hospital as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Cath said that investment like this also showed that QMH is not the "poor relation" of Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy as it is often thought to be.

She said: "Since acute services moved to the Vic the general public consensus is not much happens at Queen Margaret any more and you couldn't be further from the truth.

"We have now eight theatres and a procedure room all here working Monday to Friday, very busy with all sessions filled.

"It's a hospital that NHS Fife continues to invest in, it's definitely not the poor relation.

"If you're booked in to have your procedure, whether it's local or general at Queen Margaret, the risks of you being cancelled because of bed issues are very, very, very low.

"Unfortunately, just due to the nature of health care provision, that isn't always the case at the Vic, despite everybody's best efforts to avoid it.

"I think for the people of Dunfermline they should be reassured that there is investment at this site and the staff are 100 per cent committed to providing a really high quality of care."

The hospital has become a centre of excellence for day surgery, serving patients from across Fife and carrying out around 7,400 procedures each year.

Local anaesthetic patients will be able to check themselves in within the new area. (Image: David Wardle.)

It has been at the forefront of pioneering new cutting-edge surgical procedures in cancer, urology and gynaecology is also home to the ophthalmology ‘Jack and Jill’ theatre, which has increased capacity for cataract procedures since it opened in 2019.

Director of Acute Services, Claire Dobson, said: “The project to enhance the Day Surgery Unit at Queen Margaret Hospital has been years in the planning and I am really pleased to see the works now having come to fruition.

“Queen Margaret Hospital has truly become a centre of excellence in day surgery over recent years, pioneering new and innovative surgical techniques well ahead of anywhere else in the country.

“People will be well aware of the impact that the pandemic had on waiting times for almost all types of surgery, and that’s not unique to Fife. We are continually looking to see where we can make our theatres more efficient and maximise the numbers of procedures we can carry out.

“This recent project to enhance day surgery is really good example of where, with the right investment, we can see greater numbers of surgical patients whilst at the same time improve the experience for patients and make it as seamless as possible."