Patients and staff at Watford General Hospital are feeling the benefit of new facilities as the transformation of the theatre suite gathers pace.

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust recently marked a milestone in its theatres refurbishment as it opened new recovery rooms, increasing the comfort of patients post-surgery.

The £7 million theatre reconfiguration at Watford General Hospital includes a reception area and the creation of new corridors and staircases which has linked the new areas together. Staff are thrilled that the project has also included new changing rooms plus a welfare and relaxation area for the team.

The next and final step will be the completion of a new additional theatre. After the reconfiguration, there will be five fully functional theatres equipped for a variety of surgical specialties, including robotic assisted surgery. There will also be a procedure room for less complex surgery.

The new theatre suite will provide more capacity and will play a major part in easing the backlog of operations and procedures. Paediatric patients will also have their own dedicated space to recover in.

Whilst the trust remains focused on a new hospital on land next to its current buildings, this work was urgently required to make sure that the hospital’s main theatres and procedure rooms are fully compliant with modern space and ventilation standards.

Jo Laker, theatre manager at Watford General Hospital, said: “It is wonderful to see the transformation of our theatre suite take shape. We are thrilled to be able to care for patients in greatly improved surroundings.

“Our team has always taken pride in our work and we are ecstatic that the equipment and environment matches our enthusiasm. These new amenities will make a huge difference not just to patients, but to staff working so hard within our theatres.

“These enhancements will provide our staff with pleasant, spacious and comfortable surroundings, and will no doubt boost staff morale and wellbeing.”