Published on: 18 September 2019

South Tyneside spinal patients now have the benefit for the first time of a service on their doorstep.

 

From this month (September), two consultant-led Outpatient clinics a month will be held at South Tyneside District Hospital for patients referred by their GP, or requiring follow-up after treatment, for a back problem or injury. As well as the consultant, they will have the support of a multi-disciplinary team including radiologists, orthopaedic practitioners and physiotherapists.   

 

Patients requiring injections for pain relief or diagnostic purposes will also be able to attend the hospital for the procedure, returning home after a few hours. Major surgery will still be carried out at Sunderland Royal Hospital.

 

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s Medical Director Dr Shaz Wahid said: “Our aim is to ensure that patients can have as much of their planned care as possible locally so we are delighted to be able to offer this new service in Orthopaedics which will benefit potentially hundreds of South Tyneside spinal patients a year. It is another exciting step in our plans to provide a wide range of services across both our South Tyneside and Sunderland hospital sites.”  

 

In the past year, more than 2,000 South Tyneside patients who previously attended outpatient appointments in Sunderland have been able to have their appointment closer to home, reducing the need for them to travel, thanks to new clinics in departments such as Ophthalmology, Renal and Rheumatology. Opportunities to develop further outpatient clinics are also being looked at in departments such as Cardiology, Oncology, Oral and Maxillofacial and Urology, as well as Orthopaedics.