Walsall Healthcare’s Chair has praised the “outstanding” Urgent and Emergency Care Centre that is taking shape at the Manor Hospital.
Professor Steve Field CBE has been on a recent tour of the c£40m development being delivered by Tilbury Douglas Construction Limited, that will significantly improve emergency care facilities and capacity.
Doors, vinyl flooring and ceilings are currently being installed internally, while externally the rain screen cladding will be completed over the next few weeks and final landscaping is underway.
The new building will house an Urgent Treatment Centre, Emergency Department including Resus and Rapid Assessment and Treatment area, and Children’s ED; co-located Paediatric Assessment Unit; Acute Medical Unit and provision for Frailty and Community Integrated Assessment services.
Professor Field said: “I am hugely impressed by the teamwork which has led to this new, outstanding building that will be a great improvement for our dedicated staff and, most importantly, our patients.
“It will mean that we can look after far more patients in the most up to date setting. And the working environment will attract the best specialists, nurses and team members as well as enhance opportunities for our existing staff to develop as we all work together to serve the people of Walsall and the surrounding areas.
“We are focused on recruiting the best quality staff to join our fantastic teams here and I know we’re already impressed at the calibre of the candidates who are responding to our job adverts. People really want to come here and help us build our future.
“As I walked around, talking to some of our key colleagues who have been involved in this ambitious project, I was struck by how much of a collaborative approach this has been – involving clinical and non-clinical staff – there is a real sense of pride and involvement.”
Professor Field added: “I have been in lots of Emergency Departments around the country in my role as Regional Postgraduate Dean and Chief Inspector with the Care Quality Commission and can honestly say this is potentially the best Urgent and Emergency Care Centre that I have ever seen.”
The new building also includes re-configuration of the current Emergency Department footprint, to incorporate improved Ambulatory Emergency Care and Imaging services.
Various specialist facilities are located throughout, such as an isolation room for infectious patients, bariatric provision and digital x-ray rooms. All areas have been designed specifically to enhance clinical staff efficiency, improve quality of care, improve patient experience, and improve the working environment for staff.