Transforming Urgent and Emergency Care
Our plans to open our new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre, including the expansion of our Emergency Department (ED) Majors capacity are progressing well and to timescale at QMC.
The Trust desperately needs an ED and urgent care facilities that are the right size and design to meet the increase in demand we are experiencing year-on-year and to address the overcrowding in the department that our patients and their families all too often experience. National capital monies awarded to Nottingham are enabling the modernisation and expansion of our urgent and emergency care facilities at QMC, including redesigning our ‘front door’ ahead of the coming winter. We are increasing our Majors cubicle capacity by 50% (from 20 to 30) and creating a new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre at QMC with an integrated urgent treatment centre which will combine our GP streaming and minors service. We are also developing our ambulatory care and frailty services next to our ED.
From yesterday (Weds 7 November), the hoardings in ED needed for the Majors expansion building work increased in size. This means that for a period of 4-5 weeks there will be reduced floor space in Majors (currently known as Blue Area) so that the next phase of building works can take place. This will involve building extra cubicles and new desks for our multi-disciplinary teams, which will replace the current nurses’ station.
We are doing all we can to minimise disruption to the running of our ED during the building works, when we will lose some floor space to make way for the expansion, and to maintain patient safety. We apologise to patients and their families for any inconvenience working the building works to modernise the department. The expanded majors’ area and new urgent and Emergency Care Centre are due to open by mid-December.
Progress to date includes opening our Fracture Clinic in its new location (next to its old location, on A Floor, East Block at QMC). Building works are well underway in the old Fracture Clinic to develop the new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre (‘Front Door’/ entrance) for minors.
Alongside the new pathway models, the Trust is implementing new and streamlined surgical pathways (for Head and Neck, Neurosurgery and Spines and Orthopaedics patients) directly from the ‘Front Door’ or offering alternative pathways for patients to improve the timeliness of care.
Patient and staff feedback are informing these improvements.
You can follow progress on Twitter @urgentcareNUH.