The project has also been supported by a legacy of more than £500,000 from the Livsey Trust.
The project has also been supported by a legacy of more than £500,000 from the Livsey Trust. The charitable trust, set up in memory of former Rhos-on-Sea residents Robert and Flora Livsey, supports services at Glan Clwyd Hospital.
The funding will convert an existing theatre into a state-of-the-art hybrid theatre capable of performing complex vascular surgery. It will support a new vascular network model centred at Glan Clwyd Hospital and retaining procedures at Ysbyty Gwynedd and Wrexham Maelor Hospital.
The network model for vascular surgery was recommended in an invited review by the Royal College of Surgeons, and will mirror best practice provision across the UK.
The new theatre will allow a full range of procedures to be carried out in a single room. It will be equipped with advanced medical imaging devices, meaning theatre and radiology staff can work together, with patients benefiting from imaging and minimally invasive surgical procedures at the same time and in the same place.
The one site approach will also provide an improvement to surgical training, allowing multi-professional training in one place.
Speaking ahead of a visit to Glan Clwyd Hospital today, Health Secretary, Vaughan Gething, said:
“This is an exciting development for vascular surgery in the area. There are many patient benefits to centralising complex services on one site; in particular we expect to see faster recovery times as a result of procedures being undertaken using less invasive techniques.
“We also expect the development of the vascular network and this significant investment to lead to more sustainable on-call rotas and that it will increase the attractiveness of the Health Board in terms of the recruitment to consultant and other posts. This is very welcome news for patients and staff in North Wales.”
Dr Evan Moore, Executive Medical Director for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said:
“The investment in a hybrid theatre will give us the best facilities possible to care for patients from across North Wales in need of complex vascular surgery.
“Developing the theatre here at Glan Clwyd Hospital, will also support the training of specialist vascular staff, contributing to a robust, sustainable service for North Wales residents.”