A&E patient numbers 'outgrow' hospital's capacity

Construction is underway on the new emergency department at Great Western Hospital

A larger emergency department is due to open in Swindon as hospital bosses say "demand has massively outgrown" the existing facilities.

The Great Western Hospitals (GWH) Trust said the £33m new build, due to open in July, will be 60% larger than the one it replaces.

Despite being one of the newest hospitals in the region, when it opened in 2002 concerns were raised it would not be big enough.

Hospital leaders said they are now "playing catch up" with Swindon's rapidly growing population.

A new children's emergency unit, which is also part of the build, will open in the autumn.

Julian Auckland-Lewis is the director of the expansion programme

"Swindon's population will have grown by approximately 40% between the point at which the hospital was built and at the end of this decade," said Julian Auckland-Lewis, the expansion programme's director.

He said the new facilities would mean no longer "having to look after patients in areas which weren't really designed for patient care".

The new emergency unit will provide 60% more space, allowing a 44% increase in patient capacity.

It will include cubicles with doors instead of curtains to improve privacy, more toilets, spaces for relatives, and a private room for patients in mental health crisis.

The children's ward will also include sensory and baby rooms.

Lead nurse Natalie Lawrence said staff are "very excited"

"When you know the care you're able to provide is better, that's huge for a nurse," said Natalie Lawrence, the expansion programme's lead nurse.

"They're in a better environment, better supported, the synergy from it will be huge and they (staff) are very excited," she said.

About £27m in funding came from central government, the rest from the Great Western Hospital's management trust.

The GWH charity arm, Brighter Futures, is now raising funds for additional equipment and soft furnishings for the new units.

The cash does not bring with it additional staff, but the new facility alongside the recently-opened Urgent Treatment Centre should allow the hospital to work more efficiently.

Kevin Clark said the new facilities will bring massive changes for patient care

"There are going to be massive changes in the way patients are managed," said Kevin Clark, the operations manger.

"It is literally setting from zero and reinventing the wheel to some extent."

He said this would include better access to scans, new digital emergency patient records, and ensuring patients are more quickly sent to the area most appropriate for their care.

With heat pumps and solar panels, the new unit is also designed to be entirely powered by renewable energy.

The main emergency unit is due to open in the last week of July, with the children's unit by the end of September.