Trust celebrates revamp of JR's theatres
09/09/2019
This article is more than four years old.
On Monday 9 September 2019 Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust celebrated the official re-opening of the operating theatres at the John Radcliffe's main hospital following the completion of refresh work that started in April 2019.
These works have included new electrical and data wiring and increased sockets, brighter lighting, redecoration with vibrant new colours in the corridors and more neutral tones in the theatres, new cabinetry and other fittings, new flooring and a new centralised stores for equipment and medicines that enables theatre staff to work more efficiently.
Dr Bruno Holthof, Chief Executive of Oxford University Hospitals, met members of the theatre staff in the new staff room, which was refurbished, together with the kitchen, thanks to funding from Oxford Hospitals Charity.
Dr Holthof welcomed the staff in the newly redecorated area and said: "I hope our staff enjoy working in such a bright and colourful place. They have outstanding skills and deserve to work in an environment that matches their excellence and will help them to deliver the standard of care that the Trust aspires to."
In this part of the JR hospital there are eight operating theatres where both planned and emergency surgeries are carried out. Over the last four months, while these theatres were shut, some operations were transferred to the West Wing theatres.
Sara Randall, Chief Operating Officer at Oxford University Hospitals, said: "This was an extremely complex project that impacted on both the West Wing and the JR theatres. In order to ensure business continuity, everything was planned in detail and executed carefully by different teams working together as one.
"Today we want to celebrate all the dedicated staff who took on this logistics challenge in addition to their 'day job' to ensure there was minimal impact on patient care."
Together with the theatre staff, teams from Estates, Procurement, Clinical Engineering, IT and Pharmacy were involved in moving equipment and medicines to and from the West Wing, as well as in the revamp of these JR theatres.
Caroline Tompkins, Matron at the JR main hospital theatres, said: "I want to thank all my colleagues involved in this. Initially, it seemed a daunting task to close the theatres, transfer everything to the West Wing, co-ordinate our daily operations and then move us back here. But, with fantastic teamwork and very detailed planning, we can all be very proud of what we have achieved.
"If today we can benefit from this renewed facility, it is because everybody, from the clinicians and managers to the porters and cleaners, has gone the extra mile to make it possible. Also, our contractors were completely supportive and what they have achieved in the tight time frame has been miraculous.
"All the improvements have transformed our theatre area and have had a powerful and positive impact on our morale. We all feel happier working in such a bright place."