New unit has already reduced overnight stays in first week
An £11-million unit has opened at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital
Last updated 16th Nov 2022
A new £11-million unit has opened at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital which aims to get those referred by a GP tested quicker - so they don't have to stay overnight.
The unit brings different teams together to help speed-up patient flows and reduce pressure on A&E
A spokesperson said: "The new multi-specialty unit means patients can be assessed more rapidly by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s surgical teams to determine whether they need emergency surgery or can be safely discharged home.
"The unit is purpose-built and brings surgeons, emergency doctors and other healthcare professionals closer together, with a much better environment for patients and staff too.
"It’s a major part of the Musgrove 2030 programme – creating state-of-the-art buildings that offer patients safe, effective, and personalised care, based on the most advanced treatments, technology, and innovations in healthcare."
Miss Marianne Hollyman, one of Somerset FT’s Upper GI consultant surgeons and clinical lead for the surgical decision unit development, said the new unit is designed to be a ‘one-stop’ shop for patients.
“Patients will initially be seen by their GP or an emergency department clinician, who will identify whether they are suitable to be seen by our specialist surgical team,” she said.
“We’re aiming to triage patients to bring them in at the right time, such as earlier in the morning, so they can have all their tests in a single day rather than needing to be admitted to hospital for investigations and decisions to be made. It will also reduce the need for them to keep coming back to hospital for investigations.
“We have dedicated day-case emergency surgery lists too, which means patients won’t necessarily need to be admitted to hospital even when they need an operation.
“All these factors will increase the chance of a patient who has come in for assessment, being able to leave hospital on the same day.”
A key part of the development is a move for the former surgical assessment unit from a remote part of the hospital into the new area, which is closer to the emergency and x-ray departments.
The new surgical decision unit is a combination of the hospital’s surgical assessment unit and emergency surgical ambulatory care clinic. Both these departments cease to exist now the surgical decision unit has opened.
David Snell, strategic healthcare director at Kier Construction Western & Wales, said: “We are thrilled to be opening up this new £11.5m surgical decision unit to patients today.
“Kier have been working collaboratively with Somerset NHS Foundation Trust for a number of years now, and we’re proud to bring this project to life, providing first-class facilities for local people.
“We look forward to continuing our work at Musgrove Park Hospital as we deliver further phases of the Musgrove 2030 regeneration plan.”