MAJOR arterial surgery has moved from Portsmouth to Southampton as part of a campaign to make the city a world-class centre for vascular services.

Patients needing arterial surgery will be treated at Southampton General Hospital instead of the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, saving Southampton-area residents a long round trip.

Vascular surgeons perform a raft of techniques including angioplasty, which involves widening narrowed or obstructed arteries and inserting stents to improve blood flow.

The move from Portsmouth to Southampton was announced by Dr Vaughan Lewis, clinical director specialised commissioning at NHS England South.

He said: “Research shows that there are improved outcomes for patients treated in larger centres by specialist teams caring for a high volume of patients.

“This change, which is based on evidence reflected in national clinical guidance, ensures doctors with the right specialist skills are available in the right place to ensure sustainable, safe, high quality vascular surgery across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”

The new system completes the Southern Hampshire Vascular Network, creating a world-class centre for vascular services for people throughout the region.

Southampton General is now the main arterial centre with the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester helping provide outpatient and diagnostic services.

An NHS England South spokesman said: “Local surgeons and other clinicians have worked together to ensure Southampton General Hospital has the capacity and flexibility to cope with the additional volume of patients, expected to be around 300 a year.”

“On weekdays there will continue to be a vascular surgeon available at Portsmouth in outpatients and on the wards.

“Portsmouth will continue as the major regional renal (kidney) centre and patients will continue to be treated there for complications that arise from dialysis.”

Vascular surgeons are trained in the diagnosis and management of conditions affecting the circulation, including diseases of the arteries, veins and lymphatic vessels.They treat all parts of the vascular system excluding the heart and the brain.

Vascular surgery became a surgical speciality in its own right in 2012, having previously been a sub-speciality of general surgery.

Many vascular conditions can be treated without surgery, radiology or invasive procedures. Surgeons often adopt a preventative role by advising a patient to adopt healthy lifestyle by improving their diet and taking regular exercise to cut the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

If an operation is required surgeons often perform endovascular surgery is often performed using minimally invasive techniques.