Ground-breaking new operating theatre at Salford Royal Hospital 'will save thousands of lives'

ITV Granada Reports' correspondent Mel Barham has had exclusive access to the site at Salford Royal Hospital.

A ground-breaking operating theatre that could save thousands of lives across the North West is set to open at a hospital in Salford.

In the past people suffering major traumas have had to be transferred to different parts of the hospital for scans and then specialist treatment.

But now the new theatre at the Greater Manchester Major Trauma Hospital in Salford Royal Hospital will be able to treat multiple injuries in the same place.

Mel Barham takes an exclusive tour of the surgical suite, which is due to open in 2023.

It is thought the RAPTOR theatre - which stands for resuscitation, angiography, percutaneous techniques and operative repair - will save thousands of lives in the region.

Dr Sheila Tose, the clinical lead for Major Trauma at Salford Royal, said: "What the RAPTOR theatre gives us the ability to give all of the treatments somebody might need in those critical first few hours following serious injury in one place.

"So we don't have to move the patient across the hospital from one location to another in order to deliver all that care in those first few hours.

"Speed is is of the essence when you've got life-threatening injuries."

The location of the theatre will be directly above the major trauma resuscitation, where patients arrive, and directly below the helipad.

The theatre is supported by Dylan Kiss, who lost his mother, Michelle Kiss, in the Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017.

He said: "Salford Royal Hospital dealt with the aftermath of the bombing. The RAPTOR theatre will help patients in similar life-threatening situations, giving them the best possible chance of survival. It's a cause very close to my heart."

The project is also being supported by NorthCare, which has launched a £1.4 million fundraising campaign to ensure the project is delivered by June 2023.

Stephen Owen, head of fundraising at NorthCare, said: "The RAPTOR theatre is a 'one-stop shop' for the treatment of critically injured patients.

"Whether they are brought in by ambulance or helicopter, they will be treated immediately in a theatre that is equipped to handle everything from the initial diagnostic scans to surgery.

"Nobody likes to think they might need these facilities but it is reassuring to know that, if they ever did, the RAPTOR Theatre could be the difference between life and death."

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