Additional measures have been put in place to help staff at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust handle the anticipated surge of demand this winter.

Channel 4’s Health and Social Care Editor Victoria Macdonald, and crew, found out more about the plan as part of a national piece on winter pressures filmed at Walsall Manor Hospital. Victoria spoke to Dr Manjeet Shehmar, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Asif Naveed, ED Consultant and Dr Max Matonhodze, Respiratory Consultant, as well as patients.

The footage will form part of this evening’s Channel 4 News at 7pm.

Since last winter, the Trust’s new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre has opened which houses the new Emergency Department, Acute Medical Unit, and a co-located Urgent Treatment Centre and Paediatric Assessment Unit.

The two-storey development has significantly improved emergency care facilities and capacity at the Trust and has provided almost 5,000 square metres of additional clinical space.

The Emergency Department Medical Team has also expanded to 16 Consultants and 16 Registrars.

More beds have been opened in the Trust with 27 medical beds on Ward 14 and 15 surgical beds on Ward 9. A total of 21 medical beds were also opened on Ward 5 as part of last year’s winter plan.

Will Roberts, Director of Operations, Division of Medicine and Long-Term Conditions, said: “Last year we implemented many initiatives to enable us to deliver comparatively timely access to urgent and emergency care.

“Due to this we are consistently amongst the top performing Trusts within the West Midlands for ambulance handovers.

“This year we have a number of challenges including a predicted increase of patients and the cost-of-living crisis. We have a Winter Plan in place to help staff with these pressures.”

This year’s plan includes increasing the number of patient beds, growing the workforce, expediting hospital discharge, expanding new services in the community and helping people to get the right care at the right time via NHS 111.