Day Surgery Unit
What is day surgery?
Day surgery refers to the practice of admitting a patient, performing the surgical procedure and discharging the patient, all on the same day.
The most common Day Surgery procedures are cataract surgery, urological operations and ENT operations. In the past these procedures would normally have required the patient to stay in hospital for at least one to two days but the technological advancements, which allow for non-invasive surgery, and the creation of dedicated day surgery units have changed this practice.
What will be the benefits for our patients?
A dedicated Day Surgery Unit at Groote Schuur could transform our service by doubling the number of surgeries performed in a year and radically reducing waiting times. For certain procedures, like cataracts, this could decrease the waiting time from 2-3 years to less than 2 weeks.
What is involved in the Day Surgery Unit?
Day Ward
The ward area will include the waiting, reception and patient admission area.
Theatres
We will need 2 operating theatres to maximize the use of the resource for Day Surgical cases.
What will Groote Schuur need to do?
We will need to transform one of our existing wards into a high volume surgical procedure unit with:
- two operating theaters;
- 20 patient beds;
- 10 recliner chairs;
- a waiting area for family members/escorts;
- an administrative area; and
- a small procedure room and staff facilities.