Southend Hospital ED is being expanded and upgraded
It has been announced that Southend Hospital is being given £9.7 million to make sure it has enough space to treat patients, manage patient flow and improve infection control.
The funding will be used to expand waiting areas and increase the number of treatment cubicles, as well as imaging such as X-ray and CT, helping boost A&E capacity by providing extra space and reducing overcrowding. The work will be finished by the start of next year so the hospital can see the benefit of the upgrade during the peak of winter.
Charlotte Dillaway, Director of Operations (Unplanned Care) and Delivery at Southend Hospital, said: “This investment to improve our ED to help see more patients, more quickly, whilst maintaining safety, is fantastic news and will make a huge difference to patients and staff delivering their care this winter and beyond.”
Broomfield and Basildon hospitals were part of an earlier funding announcement and will receive £4.8 million funding that will allow us to upgrade our ED facilities ahead of winter. Southend is receiving more funding than Basildon and Broomfield as its ED capacity is currently smaller and more work is required to increase it.
Through several projects both sets of money, which total £14.5 million, will allow the Trust to create increased and better use of space for patients. These works will help us to achieve appropriate social distancing in our ED and keep our patients and staff safe. We know that Emergency Departments get busier during the winter months, so it’s helpful to have this money now so work can be completed as soon as possible.