Health Minister Praises Work Of Mater Hospital's EOSC Staff

Health Minister, Robin Swann, has highlighted the innovative work of staff at the Elective Overnight Stay Centre (EOSC) in Belfast's Mater Hospital.

The Mater EOSC and two other overnight stay centres at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry and the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen are playing a significant role in helping to reduce waiting times for patients requiring elective, intermediate complexity surgery.

The EOSCs were established following the Review of General Surgery for Northern Ireland.

Speaking during a visit to the Mater EOSC, Minister Swann said: "Reducing waiting times is a key priority for me. The establishment of dedicated Elective Care Centres, such as the EOSC at the Mater, forms part of our wider transformation agenda and plays a significant role in tackling our lengthy waiting times.

"We continue to strive to prioritise and maximise the resources available to us by identifying potential areas to deliver more efficient and better services for our patients within the existing Health and Social Care system. By working smarter and using the resources we have better, we can make positive improvements even in very difficult times. "I am delighted to have this opportunity to see first hand the pivotal role that the Mater is playing in this process. I am very appreciative and supportive of the innovative work undertaken here and it is important for me to thank all of the staff for their hard work and dedication in developing this very efficient EOSC that is delivering much needed services for our long waiting patients."

The EOSC and the Mater's theatre team have now treated more than 2,700 long waiting elective patients across general surgery, ear, nose and throat (ENT), breast surgery, gynaecology and urology, with overnight stay facilities available four nights per week for patients requiring one to two night stays.

Janet Johnson, Director of Anaesthetics, Critical Care, Theatres, Sterile Services and Surgery at Belfast Trust, said: "The development of the EOSC over the past year has been a really positive step forward for Belfast Trust. It is an excellent example of multi-speciality innovation to provide a facility to treat long waiting elective patients. The teamwork has been fantastic.

"Technology-led training and upskilling of nurse roles have allowed nursing staff to develop the autonomy to look after a range of specialities in the one ward and provide nurse-led discharge.

"All patient experience surveys in the past year have returned 100% satisfaction rates. The EOSC and theatres teams were delighted to be acknowledged with the Department of Health's Elective Care Recognition Award last November."