Work starts on £24m development to Urgent and Emergency care at Chesterfield Royal Hospital
Work has started today on the £24million development on Urgent and Emergency care Chesterfield Royal Hospital.
The plans have been in place for years and there have been months of preparations. It's set to take around 18 months for the construction to be done, opening in summer 2023.
The new Urgent and Emergency Care Department building will bring together a range of services ranging from a minor illness or injury, or emergency care for a serious accident or critical care for a life-threatening condition
There will also be areas for paediatric care, major injuries and medical emergencies. There is also dedicated space for patients requiring emergency mental health support.
Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer at the hospital, Berenice Groves is leading the project and explains more:
“After a significant focus on planning and design in consultation with clinical colleagues and partners, we are delighted to get this development underway. It’s exciting to see our project come to life and is a real boost for everyone to see the work begin. This is the biggest development in our Urgent and Emergency Care Services since the hospital opened its doors in 1984.
“As we are building a new department, our current emergency services will not be affected or disrupted during the construction. We look forward to seeing the building develop over the next few years, ready to open to patients in summer 2023. The new department and the ongoing pathway developments will benefit our patients for years to come”
Katherine Lendrum is the Trust’s Consultant in Emergency Care and Clinical Lead for the Emergency Department, she said:
“This will make a huge difference and the team is incredibly excited to see work start on the building. This last 18 months have given us an opportunity to apply what we’ve learned throughout the pandemic, cement the partnerships we’ve developed and to strengthen new ways of working that ensure our patients’ experience is a good one.
“Whatever level of care you need, you will immediately be in the right place when you arrive at the door. Then it’s our job to assess you and make sure you see the right expert in the right part of our Emergency or Urgent Care Department as quickly as possible. This could be a GP, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Therapist or Consultant, but it will be someone with the skills and expertise that you require.
“Making the best use of our resources is a key part of patient care by ensuring our patients are given the most appropriate care in the right place without placing undue pressure on our services. We have seen demand on services build at the hospital and to continue with our ED as it currently stands wasn’t an option in the long term. We are close to having outgrown it but additional capacity has been built into the design of the unit to change the way we can deliver care and improve the experience for our patients.”