Staff at a newly transformed children's emergency department have said the 'much needed' changes mean the ward is better placed to deal with pressures this winter. The Children and Young People’s Emergency Department, based at Queen's Medical Centre, reopened today (Tuesday, October 11) after £3.5 million worth of improvements were made, which saw its clinical capacity expand by 50 per cent.
The space, which provides care for people up to the age of 18, now has room for 45 patients in the waiting area - increasing from 30. Catherine Livingston, matron for the department, said the changes mean the flow through the department should be more fluid.
"Everybody used to be sat in one pool - it would be busy, it would be loud, it would be full," she told Nottinghamshire Live. "If we are timely with our assessments in the new triage rooms and categorise them correctly, the flow through the department should be more fluid. It should try and reduce the congestion we had previously."
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As well as the triage rooms, two resuscitation cubicles have been added, as well as a dedicated entrance for ambulances. Young patients also have their own entrance and are met with colourful imagery lining the first corridor and surrounding the waiting area, all of which were designed by a former staff member at the hospital.
Ms Livingston said the investment was "really important", admitting the old facilities were not fit for purpose. "When adult pressures can be so big it sometimes hard to see that pro rata we have the same amount," she said. "We might not see the hundreds that adults see but we don't have the workforce that adults have either."
"It's just really nice to be acknowledged that we needed a space better than one that was not fit for purpose anymore. We've seen such an increase in demand on emergency care for paediatric patients in the last five to 10 years."
Despite the improvements, Ms Livingston urged members of the public to be mindful of the services they use, saying around half of children brought to the department do not require emergency care. "Parents should only use A&E for their children if they really need it," the matron added.
Work on the improvements began in May and was funded by capital money the hospital trust has access to every year. Colin Gilhooley, clinical lead consultant for children and young people, said the "much needed" changes meant the department was "far superior" to previous facilities.
"The biggest thing is the dedicated resus to make sure the most ill children in the East Midlands have their own space," he said. "We'll have an increased ability to manage children, especially in winter when there's often a busier period.
"There hadn't been much investment in the children and young adults emergency department since I was a SHO 10 years ago. The investment really increased the capacity and quality of care and is far superior to what we had previously."
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