'Significant disruption' expected as building work gets underway at Royal Surrey Hospital
There will be reduced capacity in the waiting room of the emergency department
There will be significant disruption at A&E at the Royal Surrey Hospital as work gets underway to transform the emergency department.
It comes after the Guildford hospital was allocated £2.8 million as part of national investment from NHS England to improve urgent care while reduce waiting times.
There will be several phases of work and the first will focus on the waiting room at A&E which will be remodelled to create assessment spaces to help treat patients as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The Royal Surrey say the work will last around three months and during this time capacity will be reduced in the waiting area causing significant disruption.
Patients are being asked to limit the number of people accompanying them to the emergency department.
Matt Jarratt, Chief Operating Officer at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust said:
“I am delighted that we are realising our plans to improve the environment and reduce waiting times for our urgent and emergency care patients through the building work we are undertaking. However, I recognise that this will create disruption for a period. I want to apologise for that, and to reassure patients that we are doing everything we can to make this area as comfortable as possible.”
The funding will also be used to transform the Same Day Emergency Care Unit, an area used to treat those who need additional treatment or diagnostic tests but do not need to stay in hospital overnight, as well as the Frailty Same Day Emergency Care Unit, a special treatment centre for frail patients living with increased vulnerabilities due to their age.