Last week, Greg Clark MP visited Maidstone Hospital to take part in a ‘topping out’ ceremony to celebrate the opening of a new multimillion-pound orthopaedic hub set to start treating patients from across the region in spring next year.

The centre, which was backed by significant government funding, will provide three state-of-the-art operating theatres and 24 dedicated surgical beds. It will expand Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust’s capacity for routine orthopaedic operations including more than 2000 extra knee and hip replacements each year, transforming care for Kent and Medway patients who need planned surgery on bones, joints and muscles.

The theatre complex is located behind the main hospital building and will focus on orthopaedic care for patients, helping deliver many more operations for patients across Kent and Medway, and reducing the length of time patients stay in hospital.

New ways of working have helped the trust of working have helped the Trust ensure patients in the region receive some of the fastest access to treatment in the country. MTW is one of the few trusts to have no long waiting patients and is the first trust in the UK to offer new reconstructive knee surgery to young patients. This innovative approach will continue in the new theatre complex and include cutting edge treatments such as day case joint replacement surgery where patients are able to have their operation and go home the same day.

Speaking on the new facilities Greg said:

“I was so pleased to be able to visit the new Kent and Medway Orthopaedic Centre and see this investment in our healthcare. I know this will benefit patients across the region and tackle waiting lists which built up during the pandemic.

“Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust was the first in the country to have no long-waiting patients for routine treatment, thanks to the hard work of its staff. This new centre will build on this success and ensure more people can access life-changing operations more quickly.”