A new, multimillion-pound orthopaedic hub opened to patients from across Kent and Medway at Maidstone Hospital today.

The centre has three state-of-the-art operating theatres and 24 beds (a 14-bed inpatient ward and a 10-bed day case ward), expanding capacity across the region for routine orthopaedic operations. This will include up to 2,000 more operations each year, helping Kent and Medway patients who need planned surgery on bones, joints and muscles.

The Kent and Medway Orthopaedic Centre is located at Maidstone Hospital, part of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW), and will focus on non-emergency orthopaedic surgery, helping deliver many more operations for patients from across the region, and reducing the length of time patients stay in hospital.

Bringing together these procedures in a dedicated orthopaedic centre improves quality and efficiency, and frees up space in other hospitals to focus on more complex procedures where patients need more specialist care.

It means surgery can continue even at times of peak demand, particularly during winter, making sure beds and operating theatres are available in the main hospital for patients needing emergency care, and helping tackle waiting lists across the Kent and Medway region.

Against a backdrop of increasing demand, new ways of working have helped the Trust give patients some of the fastest access to treatment in the country. MTW was one of the first trusts to have no patients waiting more than 52 weeks from referral to treatment, reducing this from 1,000 patients to zero in a year and helping more people get the care they need, as soon as possible.

Megan Liebthal (pictured), from Maidstone, was the centre’s first patient. She had knee surgery in the morning with Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr Craig Zhao to repair a torn meniscus and was ready to go home later that day.

Miles Scott, the Trust’s Chief Executive, said: “The Kent and Medway Orthopaedic Centre expands our surgical capacity, helping us do more for patients across Kent and Medway. This new facility will make a huge difference for patients across the region who are waiting for surgery and may be struggling to stay active, helping them access expert care and life-changing operations more quickly.”

Kate Langford, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Kent and Medway, said: “I am so pleased to see the new Kent and Medway Orthopaedic Centre open and helping patients from all over Kent and Medway get the surgery they need as quickly as possible.

“The development of the centre shows the strong partnership working within our healthcare system, which is delivering the latest care and treatment facilities for the people of Kent and Medway.”