United Kingdom contracts for specialty surgery hospital

AORN Journal,  Nov, 2004  

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The Department of Health and the National Health Service of the United Kingdom have awarded a five-year, $200 million contract to OR International, a New York-based developer, to build and operate a specialty surgical hospital in Somerset County, England, according to an Aug 26, 2004, news release from OR International. The development of the Shepton Mallet Treatment Centre is part of a broader commitment by the British government to create 26 high-quality, fast-track treatment centers in the United Kingdom using leading international health care providers. The centers will treat an estimated 250,000 patients per year and will reduce waiting time for surgery, which for some procedures can be as tong as 12 months.

The Shepton Mallet Treatment Centre will become a training facility for the efficient delivery of elective surgery in orthopedics, ophthalmology, and general surgery. For example, a patient undergoing a hip replacement at the Shepton Mallet Treatment Centre will stay in the hospital for no more than five days. The same patient would stay in the hospital for eight to 10 days elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

The center is scheduled to open in July of 2005. It will contain four operating theaters, 34 beds, and a new magnetic resonance imaging scanner. An estimated 56,242 procedures--an increase of 11,885 per year--will be carried out at the facility during the life of the contract. Approximately 40% will be orthopedic procedures, 21% will be ophthalmology procedures, and the remainder will be general surgery. Surgeons and nurses for the new facility will come predominantly from European Union countries.

UK Department of Health and National Health Service Awards $200 Million Contract to OR International to Build and Operate Specialty Hospital in Southwest England (news release, New York: OR International, Aug 26, 2004).

COPYRIGHT 2004 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
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