TAVISTOCK Hospital is seeking to widen its services for surgical patients and outpatients at its clinics.

The Times went to see the admin team who are waiting to welcome new patients.

Tracey Atkin, senior theatre nurse and outpatient manager for the hospital and Tavistock Clinic, said: “We have a wonderful hospital with multi-skilled long-serving staff who often know their patients. But there’s big potential for more people from a wider area than just Tavistock to come here instead of Derriford for their surgery and for outpatient appointments. If we can treat more patients at Tavistock, then the more pressure is reduced at Derriford.”

Nicci Rollason outpatient support manager for University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) NHS Trust, said: “The Tavistock admin team is a friendly group working in the hospital for over 20 years. They provide a wide range of admin services across Tavistock Hospital and Tavistock Clinic, from booking routine outpatient appointments to pre-operative assessments and day case surgeries.

“Our services include minor injury walk-in clinics, physiotherapy, eye and lower limb clinics, podiatry services, and soon to be community midwifery care clinics. We hold larger clinic services such as neurology, plastic surgery, gynaecology and ears, nose and throat outpatient appointment clinics, where UHP clinicians provide similar services as they do in Derriford. We are working to encourage more services to utilise our wonderful facilities and provide a variety of clinic specialities to the Tavistock area.”