STAFF at Airedale Hospital are celebrating 20 years since their operating theatre unit opened.

About 80 employees work in the theatres including nurses, consultants, clinical theatre managers, healthcare support workers, recovery staff and operating department practitioners plus anaesthetists and surgeons and on Tuesday, May 12, they will be discussing how times have changed and looking at historic photos over a special lunchtime buffet.

Clinical theatre manager Karen Taylor, of Skipton, came to work at Airedale in 1988 as an anaesthetics nurse and has many memories of what it used to be like working in the previous operating department.

There used to be five theatres instead of eight and the old buildings were dark with only one window in the coffee room so staff found it difficult to know what time of day it was or what the weather was like outside, said Ms Taylor.

She added: "Most of our patients go home on the day of surgery now due to advancements in surgical techniques such as keyhole surgery, lasers and changes in anaesthetic practice – a large proportion of our patients don’t go to sleep for procedures.

“Patients are much more at the centre of what we do in theatres and are encouraged to be more involved in their experience. They can choose how they come to theatre and children can wear their favourite pyjamas and onesies.

“For me it’s one of the best jobs in the world. You get to help patients and their families during what can be the most difficult time of their lives. It’s exciting, challenging and very rewarding.”