Construction for an improved £17.6m emergency department has broken ground, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has announced.
The estate will enhance the capacity and allow children’s service to be housed in the same place, as well as also enabling the return of 24/7 urgent and emergency care at Bassetlaw Hospital.
The newbuild will be located opposite the hospital’s main entrance in place of the old car park, with shared staffing expected to help alleviate an issue dating back to 2017 where children needing overnight care had to be transferred to Doncaster Royal Infirmary.
Once construction has been completed, the total investment into redeveloping Bassetlaw Hospital’s facilities will be approximately £35m according to Suzy Brain England OBE, who is chair of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals’ board.
She said: “Bassetlaw Hospital is crucial to our identity as a trust, and I eagerly await the completion of this project, and look forward to further developments of this site in the future to ensure that it remains a crucial part of the community now, and for many years to come.”
Before the start of the trust’s emergency village project in 2021, local health leaders engaged with colleagues, patients, industry partners and the community – following the consultation, the team found that the lion’s share (85%) of people preferred the new paediatric unit was placed adjacent to the emergency department.
This, alongside timely access to treatment, the availability of staff and comfortable surroundings were all marked as top priorities during the consultation. The wants and needs of both internal and external stakeholders were taken into account by the architects and designers working on the project.
The trust hopes both the emergency department and the new paediatric service will launch next summer.
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