Doncaster day-case surgery team completes 500th parathyroid operation

A specialist surgical service at Doncaster Royal Infirmary has completed its 500th day-case operation for an overactive parathyroid gland.

The team estimates that enabling suitable patients to return home on the day of surgery has made around 1,000 nights in hospital beds available for other patients.

The procedure, known as a minimally invasive parathyroidectomy, uses a small incision in the neck to remove the affected gland and restore normal calcium levels in the blood.

Four parathyroid glands in the neck help regulate blood calcium. If one becomes overactive, levels can rise too high and cause conditions including kidney stones and weakened bones.
Specialists assess patients to determine whether they can safely leave hospital on the same day, working together to plan treatment, perform the operation and support recovery.
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH) said the milestone represented the largest series of its kind in the country. The service has also contributed to research and helped develop practice elsewhere in the NHS and internationally.
It began in 2006 after the Trust’s then Medical Director, and most recently Non-Executive Director, Dr Emyr Jones, asked the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) department to take over the work from General Surgery and bring together specialists from across the Trust.
Records maintained since 2006 have been used to monitor recovery and improve care. Findings from 401 cases were published in Clinical Otolaryngology in 2024, in what the team described as the largest UK study of its kind at the time.
Its work has also produced eight book chapters and five journal articles, while colleagues have presented their experience in the UK, South Africa and China. Visiting surgeons from Japan and China have travelled to learn from the service, which has helped other hospitals establish similar provision.
The team also provides national clinical leadership through the NHS’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme.
Mr Shahed Quraishi OBE, Consultant ENT, Salivary & Parathyroid surgeon, said: “Reaching 500 day-case procedures is a remarkable milestone, but it represents far more than a number. It reflects what amounts to a lifetime of work, learning and dedication, brought together with the efforts of an amazing multidisciplinary team.”
The service plans to help more patients access day-case surgery across South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.