Hospital 'super week' helps 150 children get surgery

More than 150 children underwent operations during a hospital "super week" to help reduce waiting times and ease winter pressures.

The children had their planned operations during a two-week summer surgery initiative, which ended on Friday, at Leicester Children's Hospital.

Among those benefiting from the initiative was three-year-old Logan, who had a day-case procedure.

Mum Steph said: "It has been such a welcoming environment and being able to come in and have Logan's operation without the worry of a last-minute cancellation has been a really positive experience."

By concentrating patients in one child-friendly ward, teams were able to maximise efficiency and increase the number of operations completed, the trust said.

One patient, Ayesha, 15, had a femoral osteotomy - a surgical procedure aimed at correcting the alignment of the femur - about six months sooner than she had expected and now hopes to return to playing football.

She said: "The recovery for this procedure can take up to 18 months, so having it sooner rather than later means I can start looking forward to the future again and hopefully get back to playing football, which is what I enjoy most.

"It also means I've been able to have the operation during the summer holidays, giving me time to recover without missing school."

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) launched its first "super week" in July 2025 with the aim of tackling a list of "low-complexity procedures" across ear, nose and throat (ENT), and general surgery.

The initiative aims to reduce waiting times and increase surgical capacity ahead of winter, when cancellations tend to rise due to emergency pressures, the trust said.

Nitin Patwardhan, a consultant paediatric surgeon at UHL, said: "We know that access to operating lists and beds is often limited, especially during the winter months. The summer holidays provide a valuable opportunity when emergency pressures ease and beds become more available.

"By concentrating our resources during this time, we can significantly increase the number of children receiving surgery. This approach not only reduces waiting times but also helps us deliver a smoother and more positive experience for children and their families.

"The feedback from parents has been overwhelmingly positive, and it has been hugely rewarding to do what we do best while seeing teams from across the hospital come together so seamlessly to make this initiative a success."

Over the past year, more than 350 children have received operations through these dedicated elective surgery initiatives, alongside UHL's regular theatre activity, the trust said.

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