College lecturer and mother of two Mrs Madelaine Moreland has become the 100,000th NHS patient to be treated on a mobile operating theatre.

The unit is part of the national fleet of 36 mobile theatres, endoscopy suites, day wards and outpatient facilities operated by Nuffield Health Mobile Services (the trading name of Vanguard Healthcare Solutions Ltd).

Mrs Moreland, who lived in Avening, near Stroud until August, is Programme Leader for Vocational Skills at Wiltshire College in Chippenham.

She had her procedure on November 20th in the mobile unit based on the Focus/DoItAll car park on Dudbridge Hill in Stroud.

On Wednesday, December 10th, Rob Graham, General Manager (Theatres) for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will join Ian Gillespie, Managing Director of Nuffield Health Mobile Services, to make a presentation to Mrs Moreland on the unit.

A spokesman for the NHS Trust said that they had received positive feedback from patients about the mobiles which have been used since the start of the year to allow hospital theatres to be refurbished.

"Using the mobile units means that more NHS patients are able to have their operations when our own theatres are being refurbished. The fact that the theatres can move from one location to another enables patients to have their operations closer to where they live".

Mr Gillespie pointed out that the first NHS patient to have an operation on a mobile theatre had been in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, on April 4th, 2000. NHS surgeons and anaesthetists typically perform the procedures. Nuffield Health Mobile Services supply nursing and theatre staff as well as the mobile units.

"This is a big moment for us as an organisation but also a key milestone for the NHS which is learning to use mobile services in an imaginative way, creating flexibility in how they deliver healthcare to patients.

"In recognition of this tremendous achievement, we will also be presenting each member of our staff with a small gift of appreciation. Their hard work and professionalism has helped us to develop not only our technology base but also an excellent working relationship with the NHS over the years".

More… 100,000th patient…..2 Mrs Moreland now lives in Lydeard St Lawrence, near Taunton, with her husband John. They have two sons – Benjamin (22) and Duncan (16).

They moved to their new home in August but decided to continue treatment with Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust so she could remain in the care of her consultant.