The four temporary operating theatres at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton are being shut down, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed – just months after plans were approved to keep them running until 2029.
Originally installed in the hospital car park in 2021 to help clear the pandemic backlog, the mobile units were described by the Trust as “a great success” in planning documents submitted earlier this year. They have treated more than 11,650 patients and helped reduce waiting times for elective procedures from 26 weeks in 2021 to 17 weeks in 2024.
But in a sudden reversal, the Trust now says the units, dubbed “car park portacabins”, were always meant to be temporary and are too costly to maintain. Keeping them open would require “significant investment to plug them into a permanent power supply”, and moving operations less than five miles away to St George’s Hospital in Tooting is expected to save more than £3 million per year.
Cancer and urgent patients moved to St George’s
Under the new plan, cancer patients and others needing urgent care will be treated at St George’s in an expanded Day Surgery Unit that will offer evening appointments. The Trust says video consultations and remote monitoring will be increased, and that more minor procedures requiring only local anaesthetic such as carpal tunnel repairs will be done in local treatment rooms instead.
St George’s did not publicly announce the closure but provided background information after enquiries. The Trust said the decision was part of a broader move to consolidate services and make “the best use of our hospital estate.”
The closure comes despite Wandsworth Council granting permission in February 2025 for the Roehampton theatre unit to stay open for another five years, until December 2029. At the time, the Trust argued the unit was still vital to clearing the elective backlog and said “there are no other viable options” to keep waiting lists down.
Internal documents described the unit as providing a “very significant public service” with its own anaesthetic rooms, recovery space, consultation rooms and reception.
Unconfirmed reports of job losses
There are unconfirmed reports that some staff assigned to the Roehampton theatres have already been let go, raising concerns about how the closure has been managed. The Trust has not yet commented on staffing implications.
It is unclear what the impact of shutting the theatres will have on waiting times across South West London.
Chief Executive Jacqueline Totterdell to Step Down
In related news, Jacqueline Totterdell, Group Chief Executive of St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group (GESH), is stepping down after eight years at St George’s and four at Epsom and St Helier. She will become the new Chief Executive of NHS Wales and Director General of Health, Social Care and Early Years.
Totterdell said: “While this new role is another wonderful opportunity, leaving GESH has not been an easy decision to make. Working alongside my wonderful colleagues has been one of the greatest privileges of my professional life.”
A senior NHS leader with more than 40 years’ experience, she has been credited with championing collaboration and consistently high performance within the acute provider collaborative she leads.
Sir Mark Lowcock, Chair of GESH, praised her “inspired leadership and unwavering commitment” and confirmed that a recruitment process for her successor will now begin.
