Key plans to develop surgical hubs to tackle the huge backlog of delayed operations in Yorkshire have been announced - with further measures in the pipeline.

New operating theatres will be opened in Northallerton, Dewsbury and Bradford to urgently increase capacity to treat some of the 600,000 people in the region waiting for planned NHS care.

Other hubs are being planned in the region and across the country. The centres will be separated from emergency care to reduce the risk of operations being cancelled due to surges in demand and bed shortages.

At the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, £35.5 million is being earmarked for new operating theatres on the site.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay visited Service Dogs UK, who are recipients of funding through the Afghanistan Veterans' Fund, to meet with veterans and their assistance dogs to find out about how the charity has supported their mental health and wellbeing. Pic S Robards SR2206162

The hospital’s existing six operating theatres will be replaced with modern facilities once final approval for the scheme is given.

This will allow the hospital to almost double the number of planned operations it carries out each year to nearly 10,000.

Mike Stewart, chief medical officer at the South Tees NHS trust, said: “Replacing the Friarage’s ageing theatre block with a modern expanded surgical hub will ensure the world-class care our clinicians deliver is matched by world-class facilities for decades to come.”

Ministers have also signalled the go-ahead for a new surgical, diagnostic and treatment centre at Dewsbury and District Hospital.

Around 65,000 patients a year will be treated at the day-case facility which will have two operating theatres, four major treatment rooms and 10 outpatient clinic rooms.

The centre due to open at the end of next year is being developed jointly by the Wakefield-based Mid Yorkshire NHS trust and the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS trust.

Trudie Davies, deputy chief executive at Mid Yorkshire, said: “The development of the centre will provide capacity to support the delivery of cancer diagnostic standards and help to improve cancer treatment standards to pre-pandemic levels.”

Another hub is also planned at St Luke’s Hospital, Bradford, where two day-case operating theatres will be built.

The hubs are among 50 being developed nationwide with the aim of delivering one million extra surgical procedures by 2024-25 providing mainly low complexity surgery including cataract treatment and hip replacements.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “In order to bust the covid backlogs and keep pace with future demands, we can’t simply have business as usual.

“Surgical hubs are a really tangible example of how we are already innovating and expanding capacity to fill surgical gaps right across the country to boost the number of operations and reduce waiting times for vital procedures.”

Other hubs are in the pipeline including a £10m investment at Wharfedale Hospital, Otley, near Leeds, due to be completed within 18 months.

Two new theatres are being planned and hospital chiefs also intend to make an existing ward operational overnight.

The hub will provide operations including general surgery and treatment for minor cancers and urology and gynaecology care.

Mark Liddington, medical director for planned care at hospitals in Leeds, said: “Protected from surges in urgent care in winter, the proposal reduces the uncertainty for patients around last-minute cancellations and will help to reduce the time patients wait for treatment.”

A mobile operating theatre will open on the site next month to provide additional short-term capacity.

New operating theatres to tackle NHS backlog in Yorkshire