Essential work on a £6.2m expansion of the Acute Medical Unit (AMU) at Walsall Manor Hospital will start later this month – with patients and their families being advised there will be some disruption in the waiting room of the Emergency Department for a few weeks.
Drainage work is due to start on Monday 18 November to enable construction of space for an additional 24 beds. This work is expected to be finished by 16 December.
During this time, there will be fewer seats in the main waiting area of the Emergency Department (ED) in the hospital’s Urgent and Emergency Care Centre (UECC) and seating for paediatric patients with a parent or carer will be prioritised.
This latest construction work, being carried out by Tilbury Douglas, will create additional inpatient medical beds at the UECC and is part of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s future capacity planning.
William Roberts, interim Chief Operating Officer at the Trust, said: “This drainage connection work is essential to help us get started on the next phase of our expansion at the UECC which is set for completion in spring next year.
“There will inevitably be some noise and disruption at this time, and we apologise in advance but ask patients to please bear with us while the work gets underway to enhance our facilities here in Walsall. We will have to reposition or remove some of the seating in the adult waiting area in the ED, so we are asking patients not to turn up accompanied by several family members or friends as there just isn’t going to be anywhere for them to sit.
“We will be seating children in the Paediatric ED and Paediatric Assessment Unit waiting room who are waiting to be seen in the Urgent Treatment Centre and will, understandably, prioritise them having a seat with one parent or carer during this time.
“We will also have to lose our vending machines temporarily and ask people to bear this in mind and make their own arrangements. There will be water made available for those who need it.
“Trust volunteers will also be supporting the department during this work, and we thank them for their help.”
The £40m UECC opened to its first patients in March 2023. The two-storey development has significantly improved emergency care facilities and capacity and has provided almost 5,000 square metres of additional clinical space.