£47.5m transformation of Boston Pilgrim Hospital's emergency department continues with opening of extra cubicles
The £47.5 million transformation of Boston Pilgrim Hospital’s Emergency Department has continued with the opening of six additional treatment cubicles.
It was back in May when the first phase of the redevelopment opened to patients.
New features included eight ‘resuscitation’ cubicles to care for patients needing the highest level of emergency care, and 12 others – known as ‘majors’ – for patients who are seriously ill, but not in immediate life-threatening danger.
Now, six additional cubicles have been added to the facilities.
These form part of the new rapid assessment, intervention and treatment area, which is designed to care for patients needing urgent care and assessment.
They are located near the ambulance entrance to help ensure patients get the care they need as soon as possible.
Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group chief executive Prof Karen Dunderdale described their opening as ‘another significant milestone’ in the provision of urgent and emergency care at the hospital.
“These cubicles will enable us to assess and stabilise some of our sickest patients and identify the onward care they need,” she said. “These might only be six cubicles, but the difference they will make for our patients and the staff caring for them should not be underestimated, especially as we come into the winter months.”
The redevelopment of the hospital’s Emergency Department has been years in the making.
In August 2019, during a visit to the hospital, the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the provision of £21.3 million funding towards the cost of the project. Additional funding to complete the £47.5 million transformation has come from across the Lincolnshire NHS system.
Since the first phase opened, work has continued to not only complete the rapid assessment, intervention and treatment cubicles, but to also start on the second phase which has seen the old Emergency Department taken back to the steel infrastructure and rebuilt.
This will then house the main entrance, waiting room, triage area, Urgent Treatment Centre and dedicated paediatrics area.
Once all of the work has been completed next year, the department will be more than three times the size it was before.
Both phases of the new department have air source heat pumps, are carbon neutral and have been designed with the pledge by the NHS to be the world’s first net zero national health service by 2045.
Prof Dunderdale added: “Now they are open, work will continue on completing the construction work where the old department used to be and then joining both phases together next year.
“We are still working in only half of a department until the next phase is completed. This is no small feat, but with the support of other departments, our amazing emergency department colleagues and our patients we will get there. But please bear with us, as it will be worth it once everything is completed.
“All of this support will enable us to create a state-of-the-art Emergency Department with the environments that our teams deserve to provide the very best care, not only today, but also in the future.”