Worcestershire Royal Hospital's new £35m A&E opens

Staff reminded people to contact NHS 111 online or by calling 111 for advice before attending A&E

A new £35m emergency department has opened its doors.

Worcestershire Royal Hospital bosses hope it will address pressures that have seen extended waiting times and people being treated in corridors.

The expanded department, opening on Monday after three years of planning, follows criticism of the trust over patients' experience.

Bosses have welcomed the development but add it is not a "silver bullet" to solve problems in the county.

When the Royal was built in 2002, it was estimated up to 45,000 patients would be admitted to the emergency department each year.

Yet by 2019/20, the number of attendees had risen to 75,000, and continued to increase during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"It will be an excellent environment for patients in terms of dignity and privacy," said Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust's chief operating officer Helen Lancaster.

"But it will not solve all of the challenges that Worcester has."

New spacious rooms have been created

Three years ago, the A&E was rated inadequate after inspectors found patients were waiting on trolleys for too long.

The former unit's size and layout was an issue for many years. The new department is more spacious, making it easier to move patients.

Dr David Raven, urgent care director, told the BBC: "When you saw your staff in tears, when you see people getting angry because they're having long waits or they are not able to get out of the ED [emergency department] it's a really difficult one to manage and actually go home with and think 'have I done a good job today'?"

He added the new department was a "catalyst for change" yet not the "singular answer to everything".

It was rather a small component of changes being made throughout the whole health and social care system, he added.

Clare Bush said she was counting down the days

Clare Bush, divisional director of nursing, said ahead of the opening she was counting down the days.

"We are all really, really excited. It has been a long time coming," she said.

The new unit includes brighter rooms and more space