With the increasing volume of work for the Oral & Maxillofacial department of the Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust the surgical and consulting rooms have been upgraded.

To improve the facilities £165,000 has been spent on a suite of four outpatient rooms – three surgeries and one examination room  - which were officially opened today at St. Peter’s Hospital  (13-07-07)  by one of the Trust’s facilities department staff, watched by many of the O&M team.

The conversion of the former rooms into a state-of-the-art setting was completed in 12 weeks.  By moving the O&M facilities into a new area it has freed-up extra rooms for the Trust’s colposcopy service.

Said Consultant Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon Mr Malcolm Bailey: “The upgrading went very well, with no need for any breaks in the service that we provide for patients.  Nurse Helen Webb masterminded the detail of the design of the surgeries. Our whole department are very pleased with the results and we know that patients who have been treated in both the “before and after” facilities are very impressed with the improvements.”

The ribbon-cutting opening ceremony was performed by one the Trust’s Capital Project Managers Mick Hickman who was responsible for the project.  The design is similar to the three new surgeries installed at Ashford Hospital three years ago, where there is also a new laboratory staffed by maxillofacial and orthodontic technicians.

Said Mr Hickman: “In a surgery the sighting of the chair dictates the design of the room, and the composition of the floor dictates where the chair is positioned.  A diamond drill is needed to bust upwards through the concrete floor slab so that dental air supplies; suction vacuum; cold water and electricity can be all supplied from below to the area around the chair. The chair itself is bolted to the floor.”

Each surgery has its own low voltage control circuit for the dental implements and a compressor for powering the surgeon’s tools.  The vacuum system removes waste products.  Mains cold water is provided for rinsing and the operating light is attached to a “voyager cart” for ease of movement.

Said Mr Hickman: “There are many things to be considered when carrying out work like this, including the safety of the people working below the rooms where the conversion is taking place. We have worked with the builders before and with the specialist dental equipping firm.”

For the past 40 years both Ashford and St. Peter’s hospitals have provided an Oral & Maxillofacial service, with three specialties: Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery; Orthodontics and Resorative Dentistry.  The two hospitals merged in April 1998. Figures below show the increase in work from then to now:

·          2006/2007 10,622 Oral outpatients up 977 from 1998/1999.

·          2006/2007 1,122 Oral Inpatients up 389 from 1998/1999.

Top ten catchment areas for Oral patients are Spelthorne, Runnymede, Woking, Hounslow, Elmbridge, Surrey Heath,Richmond upon Thames, Windsor and Maidenhead, Guildford and Ealing.

The range of work is huge and is carried out in the surgical suites or the main operating theatres. There is a 24-hour, 365 day-a-year on-call service provided by Senior House Officers supported by Specialist Registrars and Consultants.

Minor procedures can range from difficult extractions, wisdom teeth removal, biopsy samples, and implants involving metal posts being integrated in the patient’s jaw bone or injuries resulting from minor serious accidents.

More complex surgery such as cancer of the head and neck, salivary gland surgery, Orthognathic surgery to correct conditions of the jaw or face relating to its structure,   or complex trauma – perhaps following a road accident or following or dog or human bite to the face is the work of the consultants.

Said Mr Bailey: “Our team see approximately 4,000 new patients a year with more than 6,000 follow-up appointments.  We are supported by dedicated nurses and secretaries which helps us to provide a seamless service. Our work is dedicated to improving the life of patients who face a wide range of diseases, injuries and defects to both their hard and soft tissues in the mouth and head and neck areas.”