Cheltenham A&E re-opens next month after temporarily closing last year
£6.5m is also being invested into the Radiology department
Cheltenham Hospital's A&E department will re-open next month after it was temporarily closed last year due to the pandemic.
The department will re-open one month earlier than previously planned on Wednesday 9 June
It will be a consultant-led service seven days a week between the hours of 8am and 8pm, but remain closed overnight, and will re-open to it's pre-pandemic state from July 1.
Hospital bosses made the decision to suspend services there last year to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission between staff and patients by reducing the number of emergency routes into our hospitals.
They said it was to also enable them to continue to provide cancer care, high priority surgery and diagnostics, especially to those patients who were most vulnerable.
Due to the continued reduction in community transmission of Covid-19 they can now gradually return the department back to it's former state.
The hospital is also set to benefit from a £6.5m investment into its radiology department to allow A&E patients to access faster and accurate X-rays and MRI scans.
Patients coming for surgery also stand to benefit.
The improvement works, which have already started and are scheduled to be completed in the autumn, include three new CT scanners, an additional MRI scanner and a much improved physical environment.
Deborah Lee, Chief Executive of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust, said:
"We know that the A&E service in Cheltenham is well regarded in the county and that this announcement will come as welcomed news.
"The re-instatement of the service is being phased over a three-week period to ensure the smooth and safe transition of services and staff".
To support the re-opening of Cheltenham A&E a number of other services be will restored including medical admissions to Cheltenham.