Theatre services
There are two theatre suites at Russells Hall Hospital comprising main theatres and day case, with a total of 14 operating theatres. We also have a specialist operating theatre in the X-ray department where certain vascular operations are performed. At Corbett Outpatient Centre, a standalone day case unit provides a service for minor orthopaedic and dental procedures.
We provide anaesthesia for a wide range of surgical specialities, including:
- General surgery
- Vascular surgery
- Orthopaedics and trauma
- Gynaecology
- Urology
- Plastic surgery
- Ear, nose and throat surgery
- Maxillofacial surgery
Critical Care Unit
The Critical Care Unit has nine beds designed and equipped to manage and care for critically ill patients. The unit is run by consultant anaesthetists and consultant physicians who are specialists in the field of critical care.
Daily medical care on the unit is led by a consultant supported by a multi-disciplinary team including specialist nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists and dieticians.
There is a 24 hour outreach service whose role is to identify patients within the hospital who are becoming ill so that they can receive immediate treatment and admission to the Critical Care Unit, if required. The Critical Care Unit is located on the 1st floor, east wing, opposite main operating theatres.
Maternity
The Maternity Unit manages over 4,000 deliveries a year and comprises 33 single delivery rooms and three-four bedded bays. There are two obstetric operating theatres and two high-dependency rooms for mothers developing severe complications during pregnancy or childbirth.
Anaesthetists provide a 24 hour service including a range of anaesthetic options for caesarean section, an epidural service and, together with obstetricians, medical care for women with severe pregnancy complications.
Each week, a consultant anaesthetist holds a clinic for mothers who require additional anaesthetic assessment before delivery.
The Maternity Unit is located on the 2nd floor at the end of east wing.
Acute pain
The Acute Pain Service reviews patients recovering from major surgery to ensure that their pain is well controlled. This service currently comprises consultant anaesthetists and two clinical nurse specialists who work through the week on wards across the hospital, visiting patients and dealing with their needs.
Chronic pain
The Chronic Pain Service provides a diverse and comprehensive range of treatments including physical therapies, injection therapies, behavioural pain management programmes and neuromodulation (a method of pain relief that targets the nervous system to relief pain).
The service is provided by consultant anaesthetists supported by clinical nurse specialists, physiotherapists, a psychologist and an occupational therapist. The service is recognised as the regional centre for inpatient pain management. A recent national pain audit (a Dr Foster audit) placed it in the top eight of all pain departments that met all criteria and as the only one that met waiting times.
Postgraduate training
Trainee anaesthetists from the Birmingham School of Anaesthesia (part of Health Education West Midlands) are allocated to The Dudley Group. Depending on their experience, they may work independently, or under the direct supervision of a consultant.
Undergraduate training
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust is a teaching hospital of the University of Birmingham. Students are allocated to the anaesthetic department in five week blocks.
This website includes text taken from the Royal College of Anaesthetists’ (RCoA) website www.rcoa.ac.uk but the RCoA has not reviewed this as a whole.
