The Elective Centre features four operating theatres as well as 40 recovery beds for patients. This will enable an additional 6,700 operations to be carried out across the area every year.

Besides this, the Centre benefits from 12 medirooms where patients are admitted prior to surgery and afterwards for recovery. It also houses the Rowan Ward for inpatient stays.

The hospital having its own theatres, recovery beds, medirooms and X-ray facilities helps ensure that urgent surgeries do not interfere with scheduled procedures. The trust said many of the most frequently planned surgeries, such as hip and knee replacements, will now be prioritised to help reduce long waiting times.

NBT and UHBW Joint Chief Executive, Maria Kane said: “We are so proud to be offering surgery in this fantastic new facility bringing together surgeons from across Bristol to benefit local patients. This centre significantly increases our surgical capacity so that we can see more of our patients faster and demonstrates what we can achieve by working together across Bristol.”

Kenneth Middleton, who had just undergone a hip operation in the Brunel building, was the first person through the doors. “It’s an amazing building, and as I was coming in I felt it didn’t have the feeling of a hospital, it’s a bit like a five star hotel,” he said.

The transfer was led by Sister Helen Jones, who also brought the first patient into the Brunel building when it opened in 2014. “It’s really exciting to have been involved in the creation of the new Bristol Surgical Centre,” she said. “As a team we have been involved with the design of the rooms, considering what a patient will need before surgery and after recovery. It is lovely to now see it open.”

David Jarrett, Chief Delivery Officer at NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, said: “It’s fantastic to see the new surgical centre open and already making a difference. For local people, it means shorter waits for treatment and a much smoother experience of care. This is an important step in our ongoing commitment to provide high-quality, sustainable services that improve the health and wellbeing of our communities.”