Enabling works underway and plans drawn up to double size of Same Day Emergency Care unit and help transform Urgent and Emergency Care at NUH | Latest news

Enabling works are underway and plans are drawn up for a project to double the size of the Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit at Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) and help to transform urgent and emergency care (UEC) at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH).  

In line with current plans, the SDEC unit, located in the A&E department at QMC, would see its footprint double in size as well as undergoing a full redesign to increase the capacity to up to 150 patients a day and provide a much better experience for our patients and staff. 

Almost £5million in enabling works to prepare for the expansion have already been funded by NHSE, and the final plans totalling almost £20million are due to be approved in the coming months, subject to final ongoing governance processes.

These enabling works include moving the SDEC service within QMC from the A&E department on A Floor, to a unit on B Floor, West Block, to clear and prepare the space ready for future expansion. This move will take place on Wednesday 20 May.

Preparations have been underway to prepare the temporary SDEC unit ready for the team to move in, including a refurbishment of the area with a new reception to enable better flow for patients, the unit has been painted, new furniture had been installed, and a new additional administrative area created for multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meetings to take place.

Other services such as the TIA clinic located in the space which identified to become the SDEC expansion have already moved and are settled into brand-new dedicated and permanent home.

In addition, the three plain film X-Ray rooms in A&E which were in a poor condition have also been refurbished and are already back in use. 

The SDEC project focusses on this important area of the A&E department which helps to prevent patients from being admitted to hospital unnecessarily, helps to maintain flow in the Trust’s hospitals, and aims to support with the journey towards eradicating corridor care.

In addition to the expanded SDEC, an adjacent diagnostics suite with a CT scanner and ultrasound is part of the development plans, which will reduce time spent by patients travelling to and from scans, and thus further reduce the time spent in the hospital. This in turn will further improve patient flow for those patients who do not need to be admitted. 

The project is a key part of the Trust’s People First Transformation Programme: Transforming the UEC pathway – ongoing work to simplify access to the right care in the A&E department, how patients are cared for when they are admitted into the hospitals, and to implement the fundamentals of good discharge practices across all wards.

Tasso Gazis, Clinical Director for the Medicine Care Group, said:

“Investment in our SDEC service is much needed and would have a wide-reaching impact on patients throughout our hospitals. 

“These plans for a larger, better laid-out and purpose-built SDEC would not only vastly improve the experience of the patients using the service and our staff working there, it would help to improve flow through our hospital, and therefore improve the experience of many more of our patients.

“I’d like to thank all our colleagues working in SDEC and the UEC pathway for their continued dedication to providing our patients with the care they need as quickly as possible, often in challenging circumstances and environments. This is the beginning of transforming the patient and staff experience in this pathway for the better.”

The current plans would see the expanded SDEC include five assessment rooms, 11 cubicles, three treatment rooms, and recliners where patients can receive infusions rather than requiring a bed. Once complete, it will be open from 7am until 1am, seven days a week.  

Once the diagnostics suite adjacent to SDEC is operational, access to CT suite will be 24/7 to maximise its usage and therefore it will have its own exit and entrance.

Jenni Twinn, Programme Director for the Urgent and Emergency Care pathway, said: 

“A huge amount of time and planning has gone into preparing to start this transformative project, including relocating some of our services to make space for the SDEC expansion.

“Thanks to work by the NUH Estates Capital Development Team over the last month, the temporary SDEC space looks smart and is ready to begin accepting patients. 

“I am excited that we are now in the position where we can begin the work in earnest on the vacated area of our A&E department to prepare to expand this critical service to bring the space up to the size and quality that our staff and patients deserve.”