New operating theatres for Newark Hospital

Thousands more operations are set to take place at a Nottinghamshire hospital after a £5.6m plan to build more theatres was announced.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said Newark Hospital's site will be expanded, allowing it to perform 2,600 more procedures a year.

The funding comes from NHS England's Targeted Investment Fund, with work due to start early next year.

Campaigners welcomed the news but said more investment was necessary.

New nursing and healthcare jobs also form part of the plans.

The trust said the new theatres would create extra capacity for elective non-urgent care for urology and ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery, and allow clinically-appropriate procedures to be moved to smaller sites and free up space for bigger procedures.

The hospital's minor injuries unit (MIU) was downgraded from being an A&E department in 2011, despite local opposition.

New services were introduced at the site in 2014 and 2016.

Francis Towndrow from the Say Yes to Newark Hospital campaign said: "[We have] continually called for more services, so any investment is welcomed.

"Additional emergency care is however still much needed. More investment is necessary."

Nottinghamshire County Council's health scrutiny committee is due to consider the proposals on 10 January, with NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire's integrated care board seeking support from councillors.

David Ainsworth, Sherwood Forest Hospitals' director of strategy and partnerships, said: "This project will enable us to carry out more procedures in Newark, making it much more convenient for patients to get the care they need."

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