Major investment of almost £25 million pounds for Scunthorpe and Grimsby hospitals
acute assessment units will be built to transform emergency care.
New multi-million-pound acute assessment units will be built in Grimsby and Scunthorpe hospitals in plans to transform emergency care.
The units will aim to ensure that people can be diagnosed and receive the correct help quickly.
Patients will be less likely to be admitted unnecessarily, and should be able to be discharged quicker.
£24.9million in funding has been provided by the Department of Health.
The units will be built in the hospitals’ existing emergency departments, and will also house the Same Day Emergency Care services.
Construction will begin once the new emergency departments are finished.
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust says they will make a big difference to the area’s patients.
Dr Anwer Qureshi, Divisional Medical Director of Medicine, said:
“We have already made significant progress on constructing the new emergency departments, which will be used to provide care to you if you are seriously injured or ill.
“These facilities will also be hosting our urgent care services where you will be managed by our skilled practitioners for an urgent but non-life threatening injury or illness.
“Having this final phase of funding approved will allow us to complement these units with our Acute Assessment Units and short stay wards, all on one floor.
“These AAUs will be staffed by expert clinicians trained in a wide variety of skills. This will allow us to see and diagnose you more quickly and get you on the right course of treatment, without necessarily having to admit you to a ward in the first instance.
“As a result, it’s less likely that clinically stable patients will need to be admitted and, if you are, you will probably spend less time in hospital.”
“It is a joint effort for which I am grateful to the ED, Acute Medicine, Surgical specialties and Family Services teams at NLaG. Together, we have already updated and implemented processes and pathways based on best practice, which will swiftly move us into the use of the new facilities when available, setting an example in the region”.
Mike Simpson, Programme Director and Associate Director of Strategic Development, said:
“These plans have been almost three years in the making and I am delighted that they have now been given the final seal of approval.
“These new units will make a huge difference to the communities of Northern Lincolnshire and our staff.
“Construction will begin once our new emergency departments have been completed and the teams move out of the current ED space.
“It was hugely important to me that frontline clinical staff were involved in the development of our plans from the very start of the process, to ensure that what we build provides them with the right set of facilities and equipment they need to meet the increasing demand they face and give you excellent standards of care.
“Clinical staff will continue to be involved throughout the construction of the facilities, advising on everything from the layout detail whilst they are being built, to the décor, equipment and fixtures – ensuring every choice is made with your needs in mind.”
The frontline hospital team is also excited about the development.
“The new department will bring new recruitment opportunities as we are now offering an attractive place to work, with investment in staff development and training,” they said.
“There will be excellent career development pathways for all staff, as well as new equipment, technology and digital improvements.
“The new department will also provide a great learning environment for student nurses, doctors and newly qualified nurses, developing and retaining workforce for the future.”