3D detail of the planned new Emergency Department at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, featuring the new waiting and Minors areas.
Members of the public can now see exciting plans to enhance and expand the Emergency Department at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
Blackpool teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has released a 3D ‘flythrough’ which gives clear details of the planned extension of the Emergency Department (ED) at the hospital.
The work was due to start in 2023 but is now set to begin two and a half years ahead of schedule thanks to part of a share of £300 million allocated across the country by the Government to upgrade facilities ahead of winter.
As a result of the funding work to extend the waiting area and Minors area – treating non-life threatening emergency illness and injuries – is now set to be completed by Christmas 2020.
Talking about the development Emergency Village and Critical Care Development Lead, Nigel Fort, said: “A fundamental element of the redesign of ED has been to open up the waiting area which gives us an opportunity to increase our social distancing capability almost five fold compared to the existing position. This will future-proof the department and lead to a much better experience for our patients and visitors.
“By moving the existing Minors into an enlarged new location this will allow for the generation of five additional cubicles in Majors – the area that treats seriously ill emergency patients.
“Thanks to the determination of the team, we now have plans for a class-leading development of which Blackpool and the Fylde coast can be proud, with the first phases being in place in the next few months. When people see the fly- through they will realise how transformational this scheme will be.’’
He added: “The work is all designed to improve the care we can provide but it is important for the public to remember that the Emergency Department is for emergencies only and we would ask people to follow all the current guidelines and call 111 before attending as they may be able to be directed to more appropriate services.”
Blackpool Victoria Hospital’s Emergency Village development has focused on creating a better Emergency Department together with the Critical Care wards by upgrading facilities, adding capacity and significantly enhancing patient experience across the Fylde coast.
Following extensive work consulting with staff, patient panels and external agencies, the project’s Programme Board has now finalised plans ahead of the business case submission for the capital funding from NHS Improvement.
Emergency Department Lead for the Emergency Village, Dr Adeline Israel, said: “I am delighted to see the plans we have been working on for months come alive through the brilliant work of the architects.
“Watching this spectacular fly through gives us a sense of accomplishment and joy of a vision that is near realisation now. It is a celebration of excellent team work of a dedicated team that was willing to listen and incorporate ideas towards the best practical design possible.
“Currently our exceptional staff are working under extremely challenging conditions. The newly planned Emergency Village and the developments that have now been brought forward will offer a much better environment for the staff to enhance patient experience and deliver high quality of care with improved outcomes.
“Despite these changes, it is important for the public to understand that these changes are made to prevent crowding which is detrimental to everyone’s safety. The Emergency Department must be for EMERGENCIES ONLY.”
The Trust is set to receive close to £13m to develop an ‘Emergency Village’ as part of a national fund to upgrade NHS Services in England, subject to successful approval of the full business case which will be submitted in September 2020.
Work on the wider development is scheduled to begin in 2021/22.
As part of the Emergency Village development, in partnership with Lancashire and South Cumbria Care NHS Foundation Trust, a new mental health liaison unit is being developed on the Blackpool Victoria site adjacent to the Emergency Department. This will enable the Mental Health Liaison Team to work closely with the Emergency Department and offer assessments in a more appropriate setting. Work will start in the autumn.
The 3D ‘fly through’ of the proposed new Emergency Department, featuring the new waiting and Minors area, can be viewed at https://youtu.be/RaoJeFwbkB8
You can also follow the progress of the project on the Trust’s website at: www.bfwh.nhs.uk/emergency-village plus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BTHEmergencyVillage and Twitter: @BTH_E_Village.
A construction partner for the scheme has also now been appointed. The building partner for the development is Integrated Health Projects (IHP), a joint venture between VINCI Construction UK and Sir Robert McAlpine.