Final plans for a new Emergency Department (ED) at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth have received full approval from the Department of Health and Social Care and HM Treasury.
With £58m national funding now in place, the building work has started – with a planned opening date of winter 2024.
Penny Emerit, Chief Executive at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, said:
“This is fantastic news for the local community and staff. The planned new facility will enable us to better meet the needs of our local community and improve the experience for patients accessing our ED by providing the best clinical care in a modern, safe environment.
“We have worked with clinical teams to design the layout of the department to not only give us additional capacity but to support them to work in a more streamlined way, with better visibility of our patients and closer access to essential support services such as scans and x-ray.”
The contemporary design will see the Trust double its current resus capacity from four adult bays to eight for patients needing treatment for critical conditions; two further paediatric resus bays for children and increased privacy and dignity for patients with treatment in single bay rooms.
Health Minister Nick Markham said: “Improving emergency care is a top priority and we have given the green light to Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust’s plans for a new, state-of-the-art emergency department at Queen Alexandra Hospital, backed by over £58m of government investment.
“The new building will reduce the time patients spend in ED with more treatment rooms and a specially designed entrance to enable a faster turnaround of ambulances, getting them back on the road more quickly. As a result patients in Portsmouth and the surrounding area will receive safer and more timely care when they need it, helping to tackle pressures facing emergency services in the South East.”
Maggie MacIsaac, Chief Executive of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, said: “The green light for this fantastic new facility for the Queen Alexandra Hospital is tremendous news. Transforming urgent and emergency care for our communities across Hampshire and Isle of Wight is a key priority.
“Making improvements in our hospital Emergency Departments is one of a range of measures to ensure our patients receive the best possible care. Our plans also include improving access to GP services and working with our colleagues in social care to help patients leave hospital when they are well enough to do so.
“A huge amount of work has been put in by colleagues at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust to design an Emergency Department that will provide the best possible service and I am delighted their vision can now become a reality.”
The ED will be relocated and sited on the current East Staff Car Park which closed in mid-September to allow site preparation works to begin. Staff have a range of parking and travel options including the free park and ride.
The enabling works needed to accommodate the ED have seen the temporary relocation of the discharge lounge and CT scanner which were based at the East Entrance of the hospital.
Take a virtual tour of the facility and find out more about the new ED on the Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust website.