Mainland treatment could be on the cards for patients on the Isle of Wight - alongside those across Hampshire - in a bid to cut waiting times, with the creation of a new NHS surgery hub in Winchester.
If approved, the National Health Service says it would provide a 'central location' for urology, orthopaedic and ear, nose and throat patients.
When the Isle of Wight NHS Trust previously offered Islanders the option for private operations at hospitals on the mainland, in October 2020, 65 per cent of patients turned it down, preferring to wait longer for treatment at St Mary's in Newport.
Now, health bosses across the two counties have agreed to create new facilities - subject to permission and funding - for those who have been waiting the longest and are in the greatest need.
- Read more: Private ops to be offered to patients to clear Covid backlog
- Read more: Why won't Isle of Wight patients have free private mainland ops?
The proposed hub would be at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester, because it has links to existing services and the potential to expand.
Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, while the NHS responded to the ever-increasing pressure, some surgical procedures were postponed to help cope with the more pressing needs.
- Read more: Ops cancelled at Isle of Wight NHS Trust
That meant the number of people waiting for elective surgery rocketed.
In April 2021, a year after the pandemic started, 1,456 Islanders were waiting 52 weeks or more for treatment. The Isle of Wight NHS Trust has since managed to reduce that to 422, by January 2022.
- Read more: St Mary's Hospital reduces surgery backlog after Covid
- Read more: Weekend operations and new scanners — hospital's Covid-19 recovery
Nationally, the NHS has made cutting waiting times a priority, with £160 million of funding available for solutions.
While surgery would continue at hospitals across the region, the Winchester hub would mean an extra four operating theatres and 44 beds.
Eligible patients would be offered the choice of having their operation locally, or at the hub.
A document submitted to the Isle of Wight Council's health and social care scrutiny committee says NHS England has been supportive of the plan in principle.
The next step will be to submit a business case for approval, with the final go-ahead expected in December 2022.
The proposals will be discussed at the Isle of Wight Council's committee meeting, on Monday, June 6.
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