£7million funding announced for Hospital’s Emergency Department

The Emergency Department at Lincoln County Hospital will be transformed following news of a £7million national funding boost.

The investment has been announced by the Department of Health and Social Care as part of an additional £150 million capital funding programme to expand and upgrade 25 A&Es to reduce overcrowding and improve infection control ahead of winter.

The funding for Lincoln County Hospital will be used to transform and increase the size of the department. It will include:

·         A new purpose-built Urgent Treatment Centre, incorporating a new entrance into the Emergency Department.

·         A new waiting room, providing more space to allow for social distancing.

·         Additional clinical spaces where patients will be seen and treated.

·         A new 12-bed priority assessment unit and a new resuscitation area with twice as many cubicles for the sickest patients.

·         Younger patients and their families will benefit from a new paediatrics area with its own dedicated waiting room, treatment cubicles and a sensory area.

·         Additional treatment rooms for mental health patients.

·         A new sensory room for dementia patients.

·         A new ambulance bay created outside the front of the department with entrances directly into the resuscitation and majors areas of the department.

·         Additional clinical space, meaning that the emergency department will be able to accept patients from ambulance crews with improved speed and safety.

The scale of the project means that the work will need to be completed in phases, starting straight away.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust Chief Operating Officer, Simon Evans said: “We are continuously working to improve our busy emergency departments and this investment will allow us to make changes we’ve not previously been able to, in turn relieving pressure across our hospital site.

“These developments will help us to see and treat patients more quickly and ensure that everyone is getting the right level of care that they require.

“This has been a real team effort. The final design at Lincoln has taken into account contributions by clinical and nursing staff from across the Trust and our partner organisations, as well as from patient experience and sensory impairment groups.

“All of these changes will transform the department and make sure it is not only fit for today, but also for the future.”