Chesterfield Royal Hospital opens new £27m emergency care unit

The facility was built on a existing staff car park next to the previous Emergency Department (ED) building

A hospital has opened a new £27m emergency department - its largest development in almost 40 years.

Chesterfield Royal Hospital's Emergency Department (ED) will treat major and minor injuries, and provide paediatric care and mental health support.

The trust said it was "an amazing facility", but urged people to only use the service "when they really need it".

The hospital said from 2022-2023 about 70,000 ED patients of 100,000 could have been treated elsewhere.

A spokesman for the trust said demand for emergency care was increasing every year so it decided to revise the original plans to refurbish the ED and opted for a new build.

The new unit can accommodate more than 115,000 patients per year, programme director, Dr Anthony Kenny said.

The facility was built on a existing staff car park next to the previous Emergency Department (ED) building.

The new paediatric assessment unit, which will be additional to the hospital's current Nightingale Children's Unit, will aim to assess, observe, treat, and discharge children within 12 hours.

Dr Kenny said the additional work "would provide a truly world-class facility for the region".

ED consultant Dr Katherine Lendrum said it was "everyone's responsibility to use health care services wisely".

"If you feel well enough to have your tea before coming to an ED, ask yourself: 'Could my problem be managed by someone else better tomorrow?'," she added.

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