Refurbishment of Dorset County Hospital’s Emergency Department is progressing well, with two new clinical areas now in use.
The Trust received one-off funding from NHS England of £15million, as part of a drive to upgrade several Emergency Departments across the country.
The scheme aims to enhance infection prevention and control measures and reduce the risk of ‘corridor care’ by increasing the capacity of the resuscitation and treatment areas.
Dorset County Hospital is developing plans to expand over the next five years, which include building a new Emergency Department and Critical Care Unit on site. The refurbishment work that is underway will help provide additional space in the coming months and pave the way for the new building.
The alterations, carried out by Willmott Dixon Construction, include two extensions – one in the courtyard at the rear of ED and one at the front entrance – as well as refurbishment of the existing ED. It will provide a new entrance and waiting area, larger resuscitation rooms, bigger cubicles and many other improvements.
Two new areas are now in use, offering bigger cubicles, more space and new medical equipment. Work is still underway and being carried out in stages to minimise disruption and make sure the ED remains open 24/7.
Dr Steve Meek, Emergency Department Clinical Lead, told KeeP 106:
“Every year our Emergency Department sees more than double the number of people it was built for, so we are excited about the developments that are happening on site over the coming months and in the next few years.
“It’s great to be able to start to use some of our new clinical space. It will give us some much-needed extra room and better facilities to care for our patients. Construction work is ongoing but patient care, safety and seeing people in a timely manner remain our top priorities. I’d like to thank patients and staff for bearing with us while these improvements are made.”
The refurbishment is due to be completed this summer.
