HOSPITAL bosses have denied a move to implement changes to where surgeries are carried out without consultation.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT), which runs Royal Hampshire County Hospital, as well as Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital and Andover War Memorial Hospital, also denied a date had been set for changes, which could see Winchester hospital become a hub for elective operations.

As previously reported, it is understood emergency surgery on broken bones could be carried out at Basingstoke hospital, while Winchester could become a hub for planned hip and knee ops.

A report which went before the HHFT board in May, supported the move to Basingstoke.

It said a “major change” was recommended “in delivery of acute and elective services, with a single site for the provision of major orthopaedic trauma".

“Plans are underway for seven-day trauma services on the Basingstoke site... By combining admissions on a single site, consultants’ job plans can be altered to allow a ward round of admissions before and after the daily trauma list to improve compliance with standard two, which is currently 33% for this speciality.”

‘Standard two’ refers to the need for emergency admissions to be seen and assessed at the latest within 14 hours.

The report added: “Work is underway to make the required changes to staffing and infrastructure and job plans will be altered to support the focus on emergency care required by the increase in numbers in due course – expected October 2019.”

However, it also included improvements at the RHCH and Basingstoke for the delivery of emergency general surgery services.

Refuting a rumoured date of October 7 2019 for the changes, chief operating officer Julie Maskery said: “We are reviewing options for modernising our orthopaedic services to improve patient care. There is no fixed implementation date and we will be undertaking patient and public engagement, and consultation as required before any decision is made.

“We will be involving patients, staff and other stakeholders to help shape plans and test any changes, which aim to improve and modernise orthopaedic care.”